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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

RIVERSIDE 


FROM  THE  LIBRARY 

OF 
DR.  J.  LLOYD  EATON 


$2.50  — 

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SALUTE 
TO  ADVENTURERS 

By  John  Buchan 


Stuart  plots  in  the  Highlands, 
gentleman  pirates  off  the  coast  ■ 
of  X'irginia,  treachery  in  the 
unmapped  forests  of  the  Appa- 
lachians, and  a  boy-and-girl  love 
that  weathered  time  and  dis- 
tance and  danger  —  all  these 
are  present  in  'Salute  to  Adven- 
turers,' now  issued  in  a  new 
edition. 

Here  is  romance  both  for  those 
who  like  their  heroes  beruffled 
and  courtly  and  for  those  who 
like  them  strong  and  pioneering. 
And  the  heroine  is  charming  and 
dauntless  whether  she  is  facing 
a  massacre  or  a  minuet.  The 
story  is  in  Buchan 's  best  man- 
ner; gallant  and  sturdy  Andrew 
is  a  worthy  ancestor  for  Richard  ^'^'  >'* 
Hannay,  and  the  courageous 
Elspeth  for  his  Mary.  It  is  a 
book  for  those  who  love  l)risk  c 
action  and  bold  adventure. 


#- 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 


SALUTE  TO 
ADVENTURERS 


BY 
JOHN  BUCHAN 


BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK 

HOUGHTON  MIFFLIN  COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT,  191 7,  BY  HOUGHTON  MIFFLIN  COMPANY 
ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED 


CAMBRIDGE  .   MASSACHUSETTS 
PRINTED  IN  THE  U.S.A. 


TO  MAJOR-GENERAL 
HON.  SIR  REGINALD  TALBOT,  K.C.B. 

I  tell  of  old  Virginian  ways; 

And  who  more  iit  my  tale  to  scan 
Than  you,  who  knew  in  far-off  days 

The  eager  horse  of  Sheridan; 
Who  saw  the  sullen  meads  of  fate, 

The  tattered  scrub,  the  blood-drenched  sod, 
Where  Lee,  the  greatest  of  the  great, 

Bent  to  the  storm  of  God? 

I  tell  lost  tales  of  savage  wars; 

And  you  have  known  the  desert  sands, 
The  camp  beneath  the  silver  stars. 

The  rush  at  dawn  of  Arab  bands, 
The  fruitless  toil,  the  hopeless  dream. 

The  fainting  feet,  the  faltering  breath. 
While  Gordon  by  the  ancient  stream 

Waited  at  ease  on  death. 

And  now,  aloof  from  camp  and  field. 

You  spend  your  sunny  autumn  hours 
Where  the  green  folds  of  Chiltern  shield 

The  nooks  of  Thames  amid  the  flowers s 
You  who  have  borne  that  name  of  pride, 

In  honour  clean  from  fear  or  stain, 
Which  Talbot  won  by  Henry's  side 

In  vanquished  Aquitaine. 


The  reader  is  asked  to  believe  that  most  of 
the  characters  in  this  tale  and  many  of  the 
incidents  have  good  historical  warrant.  The 
figure  of  Muckle  John  Gib  will  be  familiar  to 
the  readers  of  Patrick  JValker. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I  The  Sweet-Singers      .  .  ,  .11 

II  Of  a  High-Handed  Lady    ...       24 

III  The  Canongate  Tolbooth  ...       32 

IV  Of  a  Stairhead  and  a  Sea-Captain     .       47 
V  My  First  Coming  to  Virginia       .  .       65 

VI  Tells  of  my  Education       ...       75 

VII    I  BECOME  AN   UNPOPULAR  CHARACTER       .  88 

VIII  Red  Ringan         .          .          .          .  .      loi 

IX  Various  Doings  in  the  Savannah  .      114 

X  I  HEAR  AN  Old  Song  .          .          .  .131 

XI  Gravity  out  of  Bed    .          .          .  .144 

XII  A  Word  at  the  Harbour-side       .  .156 

XIII  I  stumble  into  a  Great  Folly     .  .170 

XIV  A  V^ild  Wager 182 

XV    I    GATHER    THE    ClANS     ....        194 

XVI  The  Ford  of  the  Rapidan  .  .  .      202 

XVII  I  retrace  my  Steps       .  .  .  .211 

XVIII  Our  Adventure  receives  a  Recruit  .     221 

XIX  Clearwater  Glen        .  .  .  .233 

XX  The  Stockade  among  the  Pines  .  .      244 

vri 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXI  A  Hawk  screams  in  the  Evening          .  256 

XXII  How  A  Fool  must  go  his  Own  Road   .  268 

XXIII  The  Horn  of  Diarmaid  sounds  .          .  278 

XXIV  I  suffer  the  Heathen's  Rage   .          .  290 
XXV  Events  on  the  Hill-side     .          .          .  301 

XXVI  Shalah        .  .  .  .  .  .312 

XXVII    How     I     STROVE     ALL     NiGHT     WITH     THE 

Devil       ......  322 

XXVIII  How  Three  Souls  found  their  Heri- 
tage          ......  338 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 


SALUTE   TO 
ADVENTURERS 

CHAPTER  I 

THE  SWEET-SINGERS 

WHEN  I  was  a  child  in  short-coats  a  spaewife 
came  to  the  town-end,  and  for  a  silver  groat 
paid  by  my  mother  she  riddled  my  fate.  It  came  to 
little,  being  no  more  than  that  I  should  miss  love  and 
fortune  in  the  sunlight  and  find  them  in  the  rain.  The 
woman  was  a  haggard,  black-faced  gipsy,  and  when 
my  mother  asked  for  more  she  turned  on  her  heel  and 
spoke  gibberish;  for  which  she  was  presently  driven 
out  of  the  place  by  Tam  Roberton,  the  baillie,  and  the 
village  dogs.  But  the  thing  stuck  in  my  memory,  and 
together  with  the  fact  that  I  was  a  Thursday's  bairn, 
and  so,  according  to  the  old  rhyme,  "had  far  to  go," 
convinced  me  long  ere  I  had  come  to  man's  estate  that 
wanderings  and  surprises  would  be  my  portion. 

It  is  in  the  rain  that  this  tale  begins.  I  was  just 
turned  of  eighteen,  and  in  the  back-end  of  a  dripping 
September  set  out  from  our  moorland  house  of  Auchen- 
cairn  to  complete  my  course  at  Edinburgh  College. 
The  year  was  1685,  an  ill  year  for  our  countryside ;  for 
the   folk  were   at  odds  with  the   King's  Government 

II 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

about  religion,  and  the  land  was  full  of  covenants  and 
repressions.  Small  wonder  that  I  was  backward  with 
my  colleging,  and  at  an  age  when  most  lads  are  buckled 
to  a  calling  was  still  attending  the  prelections  of  the 
Edinburgh  masters.  My  father  had  blown  hot  and 
cold  in  politics,  for  he  was  fiery  and  unstable  by  nature, 
and  swift  to  judge  a  cause  by  Its  latest  professor.  He 
had  cast  out  with  the  Hamilton  gentry,  and,  having 
broken  the  head  of  a  dragoon  in  the  change-house  of 
Lesmahagow,  had  his  little  estate  mulcted  in  fines.  All 
of  which,  together  with  some  natural  curiosity  and  a 
family  love  of  fighting,  sent  him  to  the  ill-fated  field  of 
Bothwell  Brig,  from  which  he  was  lucky  to  escape  with 
a  bullet  In  the  shoulder.  Thereupon  he  had  been  put 
to  the  horn,  and  was  now  lying  hid  in  a  den  in  the 
mosses  of  Douglas  Water.  It  was  a  sore  business  for 
my  mother,  who  had  the  task  of  warding  off  prying 
eyes  from  our  ragged  household  and  keeping  the  fugi- 
tive in  life.  She  was  a  Tweedslde  woman,  as  strong 
and  staunch  as  an  oak,  and  with  a  heart  In  her  like 
Robert  Bruce.  And  she  was  cheerful,  too,  in  the  worst 
days,  and  would  go  about  the  place  with  a  bright  eye 
and  an  old  song  on  her  lips.  But  the  thing  was  beyond 
a  woman's  bearing;  so  I  had  perforce  to  forsake  my 
colleging  and  take  a  hand  with  our  family  vexations. 
The  life  made  me  hard  and  watchful,  trusting  no  man, 
and  brusque  and  stiff  towards  the  world.  And  yet  all 
the  while  youth  was  working  In  me  like  yeast,  so  that 
a  spring  day  or  a  west  wind  would  make  me  forget  my 
troubles  and  thirst  to  be  about  a  kindlier  business  than 
skulking  in  a  moorland  dwelling. 

12 


THE  SWEET-SINGERS 

My  mother  besought  me  to  leave  her.  "What,"  she 
would  say,  "has  young  blood  to  do  with  this  bickering 
of  kirks  and  old  wives'  lamentations?  You  have  to 
learn  and  see  and  do,  Andrew.  And  it's  time  you  were 
beginning."  But  I  would  not  listen  to  her,  till  by  the 
mercy  of  God  we  got  my  father  safely  forth  of  Scot- 
land, and  heard  that  he  was  dwelling  snugly  at  Leyden 
in  as  great  patience  as  his  nature  allowed.  Thereupon 
I  bethought  me  of  my  neglected  colleging,  and,  leaving 
my  books  and  plenishing  to  come  by  the  Lanark  car- 
rier, set  out  on  foot  for  Edinburgh. 

The  distance  is  only  a  day's  walk  for  an  active  man, 
but  I  started  late,  and  purposed  to  sleep  the  night  at  a 
cousin's  house  by  Kirknewton.  Often  in  bright  sum- 
mer days  I  had  travelled  the  road,  when  the  moors  lay 
yellow  in  the  sun  and  larks  made  a  cheerful  chorus. 
In  such  weather  it  is  a  pleasant  road,  with  long  pros- 
pects to  cheer  the  traveller,  and  kindly  ale-houses  to 
rest  his  legs  in.  But  that  day  it  rained  as  if  the  flood- 
gates of  heaven  had  opened.  When  I  crossed  Clyde  by 
the  bridge  at  Hyndford  the  water  was  swirling  up  to 
the  keystone.  The  ways  were  a  foot  deep  in  mire,  and 
about  Carnwath  the  bog  had  overflowed  and  the  whole 
neighbourhood  swam  in  a  loch.  It  was  pitiful  to  see 
the  hay  afloat  like  water-weeds,  and  the  green  oats 
scarcely  showing  above  the  black  floods.  In  two  min- 
utes after  starting  I  was  wet  to  the  skin,  and  I  thanked 
Providence  I  had  left  my  little  Dutch  Horace  behind 
me  in  the  book-box.  By  three  In  the  afternoon  I  was 
as  unkempt  as  any  tinker,  my  hair  plastered  over  my 
eyes,  and  every  fold  of  my  coat  running  like  a  gutter. 

13 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

Presently  the  time  came  for  me  to  leave  the  road  and 
take  the  short-cut  over  the  moors;  but  in  the  deluge, 
where  the  eyes  could  see  no  more  than  a  yard  or  two 
into  a  grey  wall  of  rain,  I  began  to  misdoubt  my  knowl- 
edge of  the  way.  On  the  left  I  saw  a  stone  dovecot  and 
a  cluster  of  trees  about  a  gateway;  so,  knowing  how 
few  and  remote  were  the  dwellings  on  the  moorland, 
I  judged  it  wiser  to  seek  guidance  before  I  strayed  too 
far. 

The  place  was  grown  up  with  grass  and  sore  ne- 
glected. Weeds  made  a  carpet  on  the  avenue,  and  the 
dykes  were  broken  by  cattle  at  a  dozen  places.  Sud- 
denly through  the  falling  water  there  stood  up  the 
gaunt  end  of  a  house.  It  was  no  cot  or  farm,  but  a 
proud  mansion,  though  badly  needing  repair.  A  low 
stone  wall  bordered  a  pleasance,  but  the  garden  had  fal- 
len out  of  order,  and  a  dial-stone  lay  flat  on  the  earth. 

My  first  thought  was  that  the  place  was  tenantless, 
till  I  caught  sight  of  a  thin  spire  of  smoke  struggling 
against  the  downpour.  I  hoped  to  come  on  some  gar- 
dener or  groom  from  whom  I  could  seek  direction,  so 
I  skirted  the  pleasance  to  find  the  kitchen  door.  A 
glow  of  fire  in  one  of  the  rooms  cried  welcome  to  my 
shivering  bones,  and  on  the  far  side  of  the  house  I 
found  signs  of  better  care.  The  rank  grasses  had  been 
mown  to  make  a  walk,  and  in  a  corner  flourished  a  lit- 
tle group  of  pot-herbs.  But  there  was  no  man  to  be 
seen,  and  I  was  about  to  retreat  and  try  the  farm- 
town,  when  out  of  the  doorway  stepped  a  girl. 

She  was  maybe  sixteen  years  old,  tall  and  well- 
grown,  but  of  her  face  I  could  see  little,  since  she  was 

14 


THE  SWEET-SINGERS 

all  muffled  in  a  great  horseman's  cloak.  The  hood  of 
it  covered  her  hair,  and  the  wide  flaps  were  folded  over 
her  bosom.  She  sniffed  the  chill  wind,  and  held  her 
head  up  to  the  rain,  and  all  the  while,  in  a  clear  child- 
ish voice,  she  was  singing. 

It  was  a  song  I  had  heard,  one  made  by  the  great 
Montrose,  who  had  suffered  shameful  death  in  Edin- 
burgh thirty  years  before.  It  was  a  man's  song,  full 
of  pride  and  daring,  and  not  for  the  lips  of  a  young 
maid.  But  that  hooded  girl  in  the  wild  weather  sang 
it  with  a  challenge  and  a  fire  that  no  cavalier  could  have 
bettered. 

"My  dear  and  only  love,  I  pray 

That  little  world  of  thee 
Be  governed  by  no  other  sway 

Than  purest  monarchy. 
For  if  confusion  have  a  part, 

Which  virtuous  souls  abhor, 
And  hold  a  synod  in  thy  heart, 

I'll  never  love  thee  more," 

So  she  sang,  like  youth  daring  fortune  to  give  it 
aught  but  the  best.  The  thing  thrilled  me,  so  that  I 
stood  gaping.     Then  she  looked  aside  and  saw  me, 

"Your  business,  man?"  she  cried,  with  an  imperious 
voice, 

I  took  off  my  bonnet,  and  made  an  awkward  bow. 

"Madam,  I  am  on  my  way  to  Edinburgh,"  I  stam- 
mered, for  I  was  mortally  ill  at  ease  with  women.  "I 
am  uncertain  of  the  road  in  this  weather,  and  come  to 
beg  direction." 

"You  left  the  road  three  miles  back,"  she  said. 

15 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

"But  I  am  for  crossing  the  moors,"  I  said. 

She  pushed  back  her  hood  and  looked  at  me  with 
laughing  eyes.  I  saw  how  dark  those  eyes  were,  and 
how  raven  black  her  wandering  curls  of  hair. 

"You  have  come  to  the  right  place,"  she  cried.  "I 
can  direct  you  as  well  as  any  Jock  or  Sandy  about  the 
town.    Where  are  you  going  to?" 

I  said  Kirknewton  for  my  night's  lodging. 

"Then  march  to  the  right,  up  by  yon  planting,  till 
you  come  to  the  Howe  Burn.  Follow  it  to  the  top,  and 
cross  the  hill  above  its  well-head.  The  wind  is  blowing 
from  the  east,  so  keep  it  on  your  right  cheek.  That 
will  bring  you  to  the  springs  of  the  Leith  Water,  and  in 
an  hour  or  two  from  there  you  will  be  back  on  the 
highroad." 

She  used  a  manner  of  speech  foreign  to  our  parts, 
but  very  soft  and  pleasant  in  the  ear,  I  thanked  her, 
clapped  on  my  dripping  bonnet,  and  made  for  the 
dykes  beyond  the  garden.  Once  I  looked  back,  but  she 
had  no  further  interest  in  me.  In  the  mist  I  could  see 
her  peering  once  more  skyward,  and  through  tiie  drone 
of  the  deluge  came  an  echo  of  her  song. 

"I'll  serve  thee  in  such  noble  ways, 
As  never  man  before; 
I'll  deck  and  crown  thy  head  with  bays, 
And  love  thee  more  and  more." 

The  encounter  cheered  me  greatly,  and  lifted  the 
depression  which  the  eternal  drizzle  had  settled  on 
my  spirits.  That  bold  girl  singing  a  martial  ballad 
to  the  storm,  and  taking  pleasure  in  the  snellness  of 

16 


THE  SWEET-SINGERS 

the  air,  was  like  a  rousing  summons  or  a  cup  of  heady 
wine.  The  picture  ravished  my  fancy.  The  proud 
dark  eye,  the  little  wanton  curls  peeping  from  the 
hood,  the  whole  figure  alert  with  youth  and  life — they 
cheered  my  recollection  as  I  trod  that  sour  moorland. 
I  tried  to  remember  her  song,  and  hummed  it  assidu- 
ously till  I  got  some  kind  of  version,  which  I  shouted  in 
my  tuneless  voice.  For  I  was  only  a  young  lad,  and 
my  life  had  been  bleak  and  barren.  Small  wonder  that 
the  call  of  youth  set  every  fibre  of  me  a-quiver. 

I  had  done  better  to  think  of  the  road.  I  found 
the  Howe  Burn  readily  enough,  and  scrambled  up  its 
mossy  bottom.  By  this  time  the  day  was  wearing  late, 
and  the  mist  was  deepening  into  the  darker  shade  of 
night.  It  is  an  eery  business  to  be  out  on  the  hills  at 
such  a  season,  for  they  are  deathly  quiet  except  for  the 
lashing  of  the  storm.  You  will  never  hear  a  bird 
cry  or  a  sheep  bleat  or  a  weasel  scream.  The  only 
sound  is  the  drum  of  the  rain  on  the  peat  or  its  plash 
on  a  boulder,  and  the  low  surge  of  the  swelling  streams. 
It  is  the  place  and  time  for  dark  deeds,  for  the  heart 
grows  savage ;  and  if  two  enemies  met  in  the  hollow 
of  the  mist  only  one  would  go  away. 

I  climbed  the  hill  above  the  Howe  burn-head,  keep- 
ing the  wind  on  my  right  cheek  as  the  girl  had  ordered. 
That  took  me  along  a  rough  ridge  of  mountain  pitted 
with  peat-bogs  into  which  I  often  stumbled.  Every 
minute  I  expected  to  descend  and  find  the  young  Water 
of  Leith,  but  if  I  held  to  my  directions  I  must  still 
mount.  I  see  now  that  the  wind  must  have  veered  to 
the  south-east,  and  that  my  plan  was  leading  me  into 

17 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

the  fastnesses  of  the  hills;  but  I  would  have  wandered 
for  weeks  sooner  than  disobey  the  word  of  the  girl  who 
sang  in  the  rain.  Presently  I  was  on  a  steep  hill- 
side, which  I  ascended  only  to  drop  through  a  tangle 
of  screes  and  juniper  to  the  mires  of  a  great  bog. 
When  I  had  crossed  this  more  by  luck  than  good 
guidance,  I  had  another  scramble  on  the  steeps  where 
the  long,  tough  heather  clogged  my  footsteps. 

About  eight  o'clock  I  awoke  to  the  conviction  that 
I  was  hopelessly  lost,  and  must  spend  the  night  in  the 
wilderness.  The  rain  still  fell  unceasingly  through 
the  pit-mirk,  and  I  was  as  sodden  and  bleached  as  the 
bent  I  trod  on.  A  night  on  the  hills  had  no  terrors  for 
me;  but  I  was  mortally  cold  and  furiously  hungry,  and 
my  temper  grew  bitter  against  the  world.  I  had  for- 
gotten the  girl  and  her  song,  and  desired  above  all 
things  on  earth  a  dry  bed  and  a  chance  of  supper. 

I  had  been  plunging  and  slipping  in  the  dark  mosses 
for  maybe  two  hours  when,  looking  down  from  a  little 
rise,  I  caught  a  gleam  of  light.  Instantly  my  mood 
changed  to  content.  It  could  only  be  a  herd's  cot- 
tage, where  I  might  hope  for  a  peat  fire,  a  bicker  of 
brose,  and,  at  the  worst,  a  couch  of  dry  bracken. 

I  began  to  run,  to  loosen  my  numbed  limbs,  and 
presently  fell  headlong  over  a  little  scaur  into  a  moss- 
hole.  When  I  crawled  out,  with  peat  plastering  my 
face  and  hair,  I  found  I  had  lost  my  notion  of  the 
light's  whereabouts.  I  strove  to  find  another  hillock, 
but  I  seemed  now  to  be  in  a  flat  space  of  bog.  I  could 
only  grope  blindly  forwards  away  from  the  moss-hole, 
hoping  that  soon  I  might  come  to  a  lift  in  the  hill. 

i8 


THE  SWEET-SINGERS 

Suddenly  from  the  distance  of  about  half  a  mile 
there  fell  on  my  ears  the  most  hideous  wailing.  It 
was  like  the  cats  on  a  frosty  night;  it  was  like  the 
clanging  of  pots  in  a  tinker's  cart;  and  it  would  rise  now 
and  then  to  a  shriek  of  rhapsody  such  as  I  have  heard 
at  field-preachings.  Clearly  the  sound  was  human, 
though  from  what  kind  of  crazy  human  creature  I 
could  not  guess.  Had  I  been  less  utterly  forwandered 
and  the  night  less  wild,  I  think  I  would  have  sped 
away  from  it  as  fast  as  my  legs  had  carried  me.  But 
I  had  little  choice.  After  all,  I  reflected,  the  worst 
bedlamite  must  have  food  and  shelter,  and,  unless 
the  gleam  had  been  a  will-o'-the-wisp,  I  foresaw  a  fire. 
So  I  hastened  in  the  direction  of  the  noise. 

I  came  on  it  suddenly  in  a  hollow  of  the  moss.  There 
stood  a  ruined  sheepfold,  and  in  the  corner  of  two 
walls  some  plaids  had  been  stretched  to  make  a  tent. 
Before  this  burned  a  big  fire  of  heather  roots  and  bog- 
wood,  which  hissed  and  crackled  in  the  rain.  Round  it 
squatted  a  score  of  women,  with  plaids  drawn  tight 
over  their  heads,  who  rocked  and  moaned  like  a  flight 
of  witches,  and  two-three  men  were  on  their  knees  at 
the  edge  of  the  ashes.  But  what  caught  my  eye  was 
the  figure  that  stood  before  the  tent.  It  was  a  long 
fellow,  who  held  his  arms  to  heaven,  and  sang  in  a 
great  throaty  voice  the  wild  dirge  I  had  been  listening 
to.  He  held  a  book  in  one  hand,  from  which  he  would 
pluck  leaves  and  cast  them  on  the  fire,  and  at  every 
burnt-offering  a  wail  of  ecstasy  would  go  up  from  the 
hooded  women  and  kneeling  men.  Then  with  a  final 
howl  he  hurled  what  remained  of  his  book  into  the 

19 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

flames,  and  with  upraised  hands  began  some  sort  of 
prayer. 

I  would  have  fled  if  I  could;  but  Providence  willed 
it  otherwise.  The  edge  of  the  bank  on  which  I  stood 
had  been  rotted  by  the  rain,  and  the  whole  thing  gave 
under  my  feet.  I  slithered  down  into  the  sheepfold, 
and  pitched  head-foremost  among  the  worshipping 
women.  And  at  that,  with  a  yell,  the  long  man  leaped 
over  the  fire,  and  had  me  by  the  throat. 

My  bones  were  too  sore  and  weary  to  make  resist- 
ance. He  dragged  me  to  the  ground  before  the  tent, 
while  the  rest  set  up  a  skirling  that  deafened  my  wits. 
There  he  plumped  me  down,  and  stood  glowering  at 
me  like  a  cat  with  a  sparrow. 

"Who  are  ye,  and  what  do  ye  here,  disturbing  the 
remnant  of  Israel?"  says  he. 

I  had  no  breath  in  me  to  speak,  so  one  of  the  men 
answered. 

"Some  gangrel  body,  precious  Mr.  John,"  he  said. 

"Nay,"  said  another;  "it's  a  spy  o'  the  Amalekites." 

"It's  a  herd  frae  Linton  way,"  spoke  up  a  woman. 
"He  favours  the  look  of  one  Zebedee  LInklater." 

The  long  man  silenced  her.  "The  word  of  the 
Lord  came  unto  His  prophet  Gib,  saying.  Smite  and 
spare  not,  for  the  cup  of  the  abominations  of  Babylon 
is  now  full.  The  hour  cometh,  yea,  it  is  at  hand,  when 
the  elect  of  the  earth,  meaning  me  and  two-three  others, 
will  be  enthroned  above  the  Gentiles,  and  Dagon  and 
Baal  will  be  cast  down.  Are  ye  still  in  the  courts  of 
bondage,  young  man,  or  seek  ye  the  true  light  which 
the  Holy  One  of  Israel  has  vouchsafed  to  me,  John 
Gib,  his  unworthy  prophet?" 

20 


THE  SWEET-SINGERS 

Now  I  knew  Into  what  rabble  I  had  strayed.  It  was 
the  company  who  called  themselves  the  Sweet-Singers, 
led  by  one  Muckle  John  Gib,  once  a  mariner  of  Bor- 
rowstoneness-on-Forth.  He  had  long  been  a  thorn  in 
the  side  of  the  preachers,  holding  certain  strange  here- 
sies that  discomforted  even  the  wildest  of  the  hill-folk. 
They  had  clapped  him  into  prison;  but  the  man,  being 
three  parts  mad,  had  been  let  go,  and  ever  since  had 
been  making  strife  in  the  westland  parts  of  Clydesdale. 
I  had  heard  much  of  him,  and  never  any  good.  It 
was  his  way  to  draw  after  him  a  throng  of  demented 
women,  so  that  the  poor,  draggle-tailed  creatures  for- 
got husband  and  bairns  and  followed  him  among  the 
mosses.  There  were  deeds  of  violence  and  blood  to 
his  name,  and  the  look  of  him  was  enough  to  spoil  a 
man's  sleep.  He  was  about  six  and  a  half  feet  high, 
with  a  long,  lean  head  and  staring  cheek  bones.  His 
brows  grew  like  bushes,  and  beneath  glowed  his  evil 
and  sunken  eyes.  I  remember  that  he  had  monstrous 
long  arms,  which  hung  almost  to  his  knees,  and  a  great 
hairy  breast  which  showed  through  a  rent  in  his  sea- 
man's jerkin.  In  that  strange  place,  with  the  dripping 
spell  of  night  about  me,  and  the  fire  casting  weird 
lights  and  shadows,  he  seemed  like  some  devil  of  the 
hills  awakened  by  magic  from  his  ancient  grave. 

But  I  saw  it  was  time  for  me  to  be  speaking  up. 

"I  am  neither  gangrel,  nor  spy,  nor  Amalekite,  nor 
yet  am  I  Zebedee  Linklater.  My  name  is  Andrew 
Garvald,  and  I  have  to-day  left  my  home  to  make  my 
way  to  Edinburgh  College.  I  tried  a  short  road  in  the 
mist,  and  here  I  am." 

"Nay,  but  what  seek  ye?"  cried  Muckle  John.   "The 

21 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

Lord  has  led  ye  to  our  company  by  His  own  good  way. 
What  seek  ye?     I  say  again,  and  yea,  a  third  time." 

"I  go  to  finish  my  colleging,"  I  said. 

He  laughed  a  harsh,  croaking  laugh.  "Little  ye 
ken,  young  man.  We  travel  to  watch  the  surprising 
judgment  which  is  about  to  overtake  the  wicked  city  of 
Edinburgh.  An  angel  hath  revealed  it  to  me  in  a 
dream.  Fire  and  brimstone  will  descend  upon  it  as  on 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  and  it  will  be  consumed  and 
wither  away,  with  its  cruel  Ahabs  and  its  painted  Jeze- 
bels, its  subtle  Doegs  and  its  lying  Balaams,  its  priests 
and  it  judges,  and  its  proud  men  of  blood,  its  Bible- 
idolaters  and  its  false  prophets,  its  purple  and  damask, 
its  gold  and  its  fine  linen,  and  it  shall  be  as  Tyre  and 
Sidon,  so  that  none  shall  know  the  site  thereof.  But 
we  who  follow  the  Lord  and  have  cleansed  His  word 
from  human  abominations,  shall  leap  as  he-goats  upon 
the  mountains,  and  enter  upon  the  heritage  of  the 
righteous  from  Beth-peor  even  unto  the  crossings  of 
Jordan." 

In  reply  to  this  rigmarole  I  asked  for  food,  since 
my  head  was  beginning  to  swim  from  my  long  fast. 
This,  to  my  terror,  put  him  into  a  great  rage. 

"Ye  are  carnally  minded,  like  the  rest  of  them.  Ye 
will  get  no  fleshly  provender  here ;  but  if  ye  be  not 
besotted  in  your  sins  ye  shall  drink  of  the  Water  of 
Life  that  floweth  freely  and  eat  of  the  honey  and 
manna  of  forgiveness." 

And  then  he  appeared  to  forget  my  very  existence. 
He  fell  into  a  sort  of  trance,  with  his  eyes  fixed  on 
vacancy.    There  was  a  dead  hush  in  the  place,  nothing 

22 


THE  SWEET-SINGERS 

but  the  crackle  of  the  fire  and  the  steady  drip  of  the 
rain.  I  endured  it  as  well  as  I  might,  for  though  my 
legs  were  sorely  cramped,  I  did  not  dare  to  move  an 
inch. 

After  nigh  half  an  hour  he  seemed  to  awake.  "Peace 
be  with  you,"  he  said  to  his  followers.  "It  is  the  hour 
for  sleep  and  prayer.  I,  John  Gib,  will  wrestle  all 
night  for  your  sake,  as  Jacob  strove  with  the  angel." 
With  that  he  entered  the  tent. 

No  one  spoke  to  me,  but  the  ragged  company  sought 
each  their  sleeping-place.  A  woman  with  a  kindly  face 
jogged  me  on  the  elbow,  and  from  the  neuk  of  her 
plaid  gave  me  a  bit  of  oatcake  and  a  piece  of  roasted 
moorfowl.  This  made  my  supper,  with  a  long  drink 
from  a  neighbouring  burn.  None  hindered  my  move- 
ments, so,  liking  little  the  smell  of  wet,  uncleanly  gar- 
ments which  clung  around  the  fire,  I  made  my  bed  in 
a  heather  bush  in  the  lee  of  a  boulder,  and  from  utter 
weariness  fell  presently  asleep. 


CHAPTER  II 

OF  A  HIGH-HANDED  LADY 

THE  Storm  died  away  in  the  night,  and  I  awoke 
to  a  clear,  rain-washed  world  and  the  chill  of 
an  autumn  morn.  I  was  as  stiff  and  sore  as  if  I  had 
been  whipped,  my  clothes  were  sodden  and  heavy,  and 
not  till  I  had  washed  my  face  and  hands  in  the  burn 
and  stretched  my  legs  up  the  hill-side  did  I  feel  re- 
stored to  something  of  my  ordinary  briskness. 

The  encampment  looked  weird  indeed  as  seen  in  the 
cruel  light  of  day.  The  women  were  cooking  oatmeal 
on  iron  girdles,  but  the  fire  burned  smokily,  and  the 
cake  I  got  was  no  better  than  dough.  They  were  a 
disjaskit  lot,  with  tousled  hair  and  pinched  faces,  in 
which  shone  hungry  eyes.  Most  were  barefoot,  and 
all  but  two-three  were  ancient  beldames  who  should 
have  been  at  home  in  the  chimney  corner.  I  noticed 
one  decent-looking  young  woman,  who  had  the  air 
of  a  farm  servant;  and  two  were  well-fed  country  wives 
who  had  probably  left  a  brood  of  children  to  mourn 
them.  The  men  were  little  better.  One  had  the  sal- 
low look  of  a  weaver,  another  was  a  hind  with  a  big, 

24 


OF  A  HIGH-HANDED  LADY 

foolish  face,  and  there  was  a  slip  of  a  lad  who  might 
once  have  been  a  student  of  divinity.  But  each  had  a 
daftness  in  the  eye  and  something  weak  and  unwhole« 
some  in  the  visage,  so  that  they  were  an  offence  to  the 
fresh,  gusty  moorland. 

All  but  Muckle  John  himself.  He  came  out  of  his 
tent  and  prayed  till  the  hill-sides  echoed.  It  was  a 
tangle  of  bedlamite  ravings,  with  long  screeds  from  the 
Scriptures  intermixed  like  currants  in  a  bag-pudding. 
But  there  was  power  in  the  creature,  in  the  strange 
lift  of  his  voice,  In  his  grim  jowl,  and  in  the  fire  of  his 
sombre  eyes.  The  others  I  pitied,  but  him  I  hated  and 
feared.  On  him  and  his  kind  were  to  be  blamed  all  the 
madness  of  the  land,  which  had  sent  my  father  over- 
seas and  desolated  our  dwelling.  So  long  as  crazy 
prophets  preached  brimstone  and  fire,  so  long  would 
rough-shod  soldiers  and  cunning  lawyers  profit  by  their 
folly;  and  often  I  prayed  in  those  days  that  the  two 
evils  might  devour  each  other. 

It  was  time  that  I  was  cutting  loose  from  this  ill- 
omened  company  and  continuing  my  road  Edinburgh- 
wards.  We  were  lying  In  a  wide  trough  of  the  Pent- 
land  Hills,  which  I  well  remembered.  The  folk  of 
the  plains  called  It  the  Cauldstaneslap,  and  It  made  an 
easy  path  for  sheep  and  cattle  between  the  Lothlans 
and  Tweeddale.  The  camp  had  been  snugly  chosen, 
for,  except  by  the  gleam  of  a  fire  In  the  dark.  It  was 
invisible  from  any  distance.  Muckle  John  was  so  filled 
with  his  vapourings  that  I  could  readily  slip  off  down 
the  burn  and  join  the  southern  highway  at  the  village 
of  Linton. 

25 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

I  was  on  the  verge  of  going  when  I  saw  that  which 
pulled  me  up.  A  rider  was  coming  over  the  moor. 
The  horse  leaped  the  burn  lightly,  and  before  I  could 
gather  my  wits  was  in  the  midst  of  the  camp,  where 
Muckle  John  was  vociferating  to  heaven. 

My  heart  gave  a  great  bound,  for  I  saw  it  was  the 
girl  who  had  sung  to  me  in  the  rain.  She  rode  a  fine 
sorrel,  with  the  easy  seat  of  a  skilled  horsewoman. 
She  was  trimly  clad  in  a  green  riding-coat,  and  over 
the  lace  collar  of  it  her  hair  fell  in  dark,  clustering 
curls.  Her  face  was  grave,  like  a  determined  child's; 
but  the  winds  of  the  morning  had  whipped  it  to  a  rosy 
colour,  so  that  into  that  clan  of  tatterdemalions  she 
rode  like  Proserpine  descending  among  the  gloomy 
shades.    In  her  hand  she  carried  a  light  riding-whip. 

A  scream  from  the  women  brought  Muckle  John  out 
of  his  rhapsodies.  He  stared  blankly  at  the  slim  girl 
who  confronted  him  w4th  hand  on  hip. 

"What  seekest  thou  here,  thou  shameless  woman?" 
he  roared. 

"I  am  come,"  said  she,  "for  my  tirewoman,  Janet 
Somervile,  who  left  me  three  days  back  without  a  rea- 
son. Word  was  brought  me  that  she  had  joined  a 
mad  company  called  the  Sweet-Singers,  that  lay  at  the 
Cauldstaneslap.  Janet's  a  silly  body,  but  she  means 
no  ill,  and  her  mother  is  demented  at  the  loss  of  her. 
So  I  have  come  for  Janet." 

Her  cool  eyes  ran  over  the  assembly  till  they  lighted 
on  the  one  I  had  already  noted  as  more  decent-like 
than  the  rest.  At  the  sight  of  the  girl  the  woman 
bobbed  a  curtsy. 

26 


OF  A  HIGH-HANDED  LADY 

"Come  out  of  it,  silly  Janet,"  said  she  on  the  horse; 
"you'll  never  make  a  Sweet-Singer,  for  there's  not  a 
notion  of  a  tune  in  your  head." 

"It's  not  singing  that  I  seek,  my  leddy,"  said  the 
woman,  blushing.  "I  follow  the  call  o'  the  Lord  by 
the  mouth  o'  His  servant,  John  Gib." 

"You'll  follow  the  call  of  your  mother  by  the  mouth 
of  me,  Elspeth  Blair.  Forget  these  havers,  Janet,  and 
come  back  like  a  good  Christian  soul.  Mount  and  be 
quick.    There's  room  behind  me  on  Bess." 

The  words  were  spoken  in  a  kindly,  wheedling  tone, 
and  the  girl's  face  broke  into  the  prettiest  of  smiles. 
Perhaps  Janet  would  have  obeyed,  but  Muckle  John, 
swift  to  prevent  defection,  took  up  the  parable. 

"Begone,  ye  daughter  of  Heth!"  he  bellowed,  "ye 
that  are  like  the  devils  that  pluck  souls  from  the  way 
of  salvation.  Begone,  or  it  is  strongly  borne  in  upon 
me  that  ye  will  dree  the  fate  of  the  women  of  Midian, 
of  whom  it  is  written  that  they  were  slaughtered  and 
spared  not." 

The  girl  did  not  look  his  way.  She  had  her  coax- 
ing eyes  on  her  halting  maid.  "Come,  Janet,  woman," 
she  said  again.  "It's  no  job  for  a  decent  lass  to  be 
wandering  at  the  tail  of  a  crazy  warlock." 

The  word  roused  Muckle  John  to  fury.  He  sprang 
forward,  caught  the  sorrel's  bridle,  and  swung  it  round. 
The  girl  did  not  move,  but  looked  him  square  in  the 
face,  the  young  eyes  fronting  his  demoniac  glower. 
Then  very  swiftly  her  arm  rose,  and  she  laid  the  lash 
of  her  whip  roundly  over  his  shoulders. 

The   man   snarled  like   a   beast,    leaped   back   and 

27 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

plucked  from  his  seaman's  belt  a  great  horse-pistol. 
I  heard  the  click  of  it  cocking,  and  the  next  I  knew 
it  was  levelled  at  the  girl's  breast.  The  sight  of  her 
and  the  music  of  her  voice  had  so  enthralled  me  that  I 
had  made  no  plan  as  to  my  own  conduct.  But  this 
sudden  peril  put  fire  into  my  heels,  and  in  a  second  I 
was  at  his  side.  I  had  brought  from  home  a  stout 
shepherd's  staff,  with  which  I  struck  the  muzzle  up- 
wards. The  pistol  went  off  in  a  great  stench  of  pow- 
der, but  the  bullet  wandered  to  the  clouds. 

Muckle  John  let  the  thing  fall  into  the  moss,  and 
plucked  another  weapon  from  his  belt.  This  was  an 
ugly  knife,  such  as  a  cobbler  uses  for  paring  hides.  I 
knew  the  seaman's  trick  of  throwing,  having  seen 
their  brawls  at  the  pier  of  Leith,  and  I  had  no  notion 
for  the  steel  in  my  throat.  The  man  was  far  beyond 
me  in  size  and  strength,  so  I  dared  not  close  with  him. 
Instead,  I  gave  him  the  point  of  my  staff  with  all  my 
power  straight  in  the  midriff.  The  knife  slithered 
harmlessly  over  my  shoulder,  and  he  fell  backwards 
into  the  heather. 

There  was  no  time  to  be  lost,  for  the  whole  clan 
came  round  me  like  a  flock  of  daws.  One  of  the  men, 
the  slim  lad,  had  a  pistol,  but  I  saw  by  the  way  he 
handled  it  that  it  was  unprimed.  I  was  most  afraid  of 
the  women,  who  with  their  long  claws  would  have 
scratched  my  eyes  out,  and  I  knew  they  would  not  spare 
the  girl.  To  her  I  turned  anxiously,  and,  to  my  amaze- 
ment, she  was  laughing.  She  recognized  me,  for  she 
cried  out,  "Is  this  the  way  to  Kirknewton,  sir?"  And 
all  the  time  she  shook  with  merriment.     In  that  hour 

28 


OF  A  HIGH-HANDED  LADY 

I  thought  her  as  daft  as  the  Sweet-Singers,  whose  nails 
were  uncommonly  near  my  cheek. 

I  got  her  bridle,  tumbled  over  the  countryman  with 
a  kick,  and  forced  her  to  the  edge  of  the  sheepfold. 
But  she  wheeled  round  again,  crying,  "I  must  have 
Janet,"  and  faced  the  crowd  with  her  whip.  That  was 
well  enough,  but  I  saw  Muckle  John  staggering  to  his 
feet,  and  I  feared  desperately  for  his  next  move.  The 
girl  was  either  mad  or  extraordinarily  brave. 

"Get  back,  you  pitiful  knaves,"  she  cried.  "Lay 
a  hand  on  me,  and  I  will  cut  you  to  ribbons.  Make 
haste,  Janet,  and  quit  this  folly." 

It  was  gallant  talk,  but  there  was  no  sense  in  it. 
Muckle  John  was  on  his  feet,  half  the  clan  had  gone 
round  to  our  rear,  and  in  a  second  or  two  she  would 
have  been  torn  from  the  saddle.  A  headstrong  girl 
was  beyond  my  management,  and  my  words  of  entreaty 
were  lost  in  the  babel  of  cries. 

But  just  then  there  came  another  sound.  From  the 
four  quarters  of  the  moor  there  closed  in  upon  us  horse- 
men. They  came  silently  and  were  about  us  before 
I  had  a  hint  of  their  presence.  It  was  a  troop  of 
dragoons  in  the  king's  buff  and  scarlet,  and  they  rode 
us  down  as  if  we  had  been  hares  in  a  field.  The  next  I 
knew  of  it  I  was  sprawling  on  the  ground  with  a  dizzy 
head,  and  horses  trampling  around  me.  I  had  a 
glimpse  of  Muckle  John  with  a  pistol  at  his  nose,  and 
tht  sorrel  curveting  and  plunging  in  a  panic.  Then  I 
bethought  myself  of  saving  my  bones,  and  crawled 
out  of  the  mellay  behind  the  sheepfold. 

Presently  I  realized  that  this  was  the  salvation  I 

29 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

had  been  seeking.  Gib  was  being  pinioned,  and  two 
of  the  riders  were  speaking  with  the  girl.  The  women 
hung  together  like  hens  in  a  storm,  while  the  dragoons 
laid  about  them  with  the  flat  of  their  swords.  There 
was  one  poor  creature  came  running  my  way,  and 
after  her  followed  on  foot  a  long  fellow,  who  made 
clutches  at  her  hair.  He  caught  her  with  ease  and  pro- 
ceeded to  bind  her  hands  with  great  brutality. 

"Ye  beldame,"  he  said,  with  many  oaths,  "I'll  pare 
your  talons  for  ye." 

Now  I,  who  a  minute  before  had  been  In  danger 
from  this  very  crew,  was  smitten  with  a  sudden  com- 
punction. Except  for  Muckle  John,  they  were  so  piti- 
fully feeble,  a  pack  of  humble,  elderly  folk,  worn  out 
with  fasting  and  marching  and  ill  weather.  I  had  been 
sickened  by  their  crazy  devotions,  but  I  was  more  sick- 
ened by  this  man's  barbarity.  It  was  the  woman,  too, 
who  had  given  me  food  the  night  before. 

So  I  stepped  out,  and  bade  the  man  release  her. 

He  was  a  huge,  sunburned  ruffian,  and  for  answer 
aimed  a  clout  at  my  head.  "Take  that,  my  mannie," 
he  said.     "I'll  learn  ye  to  follow  the  petticoats." 

His  scorn  put  me  into  a  fury,  in  which  anger  at  his 
brutishness  and  the  presence  of  the  girl  on  the  sorrel 
moved  my  pride  to  a  piece  of  naked  folly.  I  flew  at  his 
throat,  and  since  I  had  stood  on  a  little  eminence,  the 
force  of  my  assault  toppled  him  over.  My  victory 
lasted  scarcely  a  minute.  He  flung  me  from  him  like 
a  feather,  then  picked  me  up  and  laid  on  to  me  with 
the  flat  of  his  sword. 

"Ye  thrawn  jackanapes,"  he  cried,  as  he  beat  me. 

30 


OF  A  HIGH-HANDED  LADY 

"Ye'll   pay  dear   for  playing  your  pranks   wi'   John 
Donald." 

I  was  a  child  in  his  mighty  grasp,  besides  having  no 
breath  left  in  me  to  resist.  He  tied  my  hands  and 
legs,  haled  me  to  his  horse,  and  flung  me  sack-like  over 
the  crupper.  There  was  no  more  shamefaced  lad  in 
the  world  than  me  at  that  moment,  for  coming  out  of 
the  din  I  heard  a  girl's  light  laughter. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  CANONGATE  TOLBOOTH 

NEVER  daunton  youth,"  was,  I  remember,  a 
saying  of  my  grandmother's;  but  it  was  the 
most  dauntoned  youth  in  Scotland  that  now  jogged 
over  the  moor  to  the  Edinburgh  highroad.  I  had  a 
swimming  head,  and  a  hard  crupper  to  grate  my  ribs 
at  every  movement,  and  my  captor  would  shift  me 
about  with  as  little  gentleness  as  if  I  had  been  a  bag 
of  oats  for  his  horse's  feed.  But  it  was  the  ignominy 
of  the  business  that  kept  me  on  the  brink  of  tears. 
First,  I  was  believed  to  be  one  of  the  maniac  company 
of  the  Sweet-Singers,  whom  my  soul  abhorred;  item,  I 
had  been  worsted  by  a  trooper  with  shameful  ease,  so 
that  my  manhood  cried  out  against  me.  Lastly,  I  had 
cut  the  sorriest  figure  in  the  eyes  of  that  proud  girl. 
For  a  moment  I  had  been  bold,  and  fancied  myself  her 
saviour,  but  all  I  had  got  by  it  was  her  mocking 
laughter. 

They  took  us  down  from  the  hill  to  the  highroad  a 
little  north  of  Linton  village,  where  I  was  dumped  on 
the  ground,  my  legs  untied,  and  my  hands  strapped  to 
a  stirrup  leather.     The  women  were  given  a  country 

32 


THE  CANONGATE  TOLBOOTH 

cart  to  ride  in,  and  the  men,  including  Muckle  John, 
had  to  run  each  by  a  trooper's  leg.  The  girl  on  the 
sorrel  had  gone,  and  so  had  the  maid  Janet,  for  I 
could  not  see  her  among  the  dishevelled  wretches  in 
the  cart.  The  thought  of  that  girl  filled  me  with  bitter 
animosity.  She  must  have  known  that  I  was  none  of 
Gib's  company,  for  had  I  not  risked  my  life  at  the 
muzzle  of  his  pistol?  I  had  taken  her  part  as  bravely 
as  I  knew  how,  but  she  had  left  me  to  be  dragged  to 
Edinburgh  without  a  word.  Women  had  never  come 
much  my  way,  but  I  had  a  boy's  distrust  of  the  sex; 
and  as  I  plodded  along  the  highroad,  with  every  now 
and  then  a  cuff  from  a  trooper's  fist  to  cheer  me,  I 
had  hard  thoughts  of  their  heartlessness. 

We  were  a  pitiful  company  as,  in  the  bright  autumn 
sun,  we  came  in  by  the  village  of  Liberton,  to  where 
the  reek  of  Edinburgh  rose  straight  into  the  windless 
weather.  The  women  in  the  cart  kept  up  a  continual 
lamenting,  and  Muckle  John,  who  walked  between 
two  dragoons  with  his  hands  tied  to  the  saddle  of  each, 
so  that  he  looked  like  a  crucified  malefactor,  polluted 
the  air  with  hideous  profanities.  He  cursed  everything 
in  nature  and  beyond  it,  and  no  amount  of  clouts  on  the 
head  would  stem  the  torrent.  Sometimes  he  would  fall 
to  howling  like  a  wolf,  and  folk  ran  to  their  cottage 
doors  to  see  the  portent.  Groups  of  children  followed 
us  from  every  wayside  clachan,  so  that  we  gave  great 
entertainment  to  the  dwellers  in  Lothian  that  day.  The 
thing  infuriated  the  dragoons,  for  it  made  them  a 
laughing-stock,  and  the  sins  of  Gib  were  visited  upon 
the  more  silent  prisoners.    We  were  hurried  along  at  a 

33 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

cruel  pace,  so  that  I  had  often  to  run  to  avoid  the  drag- 
ging at  my  wrists,  and  behind  us  bumped  the  cart  full 
of  wailful  women.  I  was  sick  from  fatigue  and  lack 
of  food,  and  the  South  Port  of  Edinburgh  was  a  wel- 
come sight  to  me.  Welcome,  and  yet  shameful,  for  I 
feared  at  any  moment  to  see  the  face  of  a  companion 
in  the  jeering  crowd  that  lined  the  causeway.  I  thought 
miserably  of  my  pleasant  lodgings  in  the  Bow,  where 
my  landlady.  Mistress  Macvittie,  would  be  looking  at 
the  boxes  the  Lanark  carrier  had  brought,  and  be 
wondering  what  had  become  of  their  master.  I  saw  no 
light  for  myself  in  the  business.  My  father's  ill-repute 
with  the  Government  would  tell  heavily  in  my  dis- 
favour, and  it  was  beyond  doubt  that  I  had  assaulted 
a  dragoon.  There  was  nothing  before  me  but  the 
plantations  or  a  long  spell  in  some  noisome  prison. 

The  women  were  sent  to  the  House  of  Correction  to 
be  whipped  and  dismissed,  for  there  was  little  against 
them  but  foolishness;  all  except  one,  a  virago  called 
Isobel  Bone,  who  was  herded  with  the  men.  The  Can- 
ongate  Tolbooth  was  our  portion,  the  darkest  and  foul- 
est of  the  city  prisons;  and  presently  I  found  myself 
forced  through  a  gateway  and  up  a  narrow  staircase, 
into  a  little  chamber  in  which  a  score  of  beings  were 
already  penned.  A  small  unglazed  window  with  iron 
bars  high  up  on  one  wall  gave  us  such  light  and  air 
as  was  going,  but  the  place  reeked  with  human  breath- 
ing, and  smelled  as  rank  as  a  kennel.  I  have  a  delicate 
nose,  and  I  could  not  but  believe  on  my  entrance  that 
an  hour  of  such  a  hole  would  be  the  death  of  me.  Soon 
the  darkness  came,  and  we  were  given  a  tallow  dip  in 

34 


THE  CANONGATE  TOLBOOTH 

a  horn  lantern  hung  on  a  nail  to  light  us  to  food.  Such 
food  I  had  never  dreamed  of.  There  was  a  big  iron 
basin  of  some  kind  of  broth,  made,  as  I  judged,  from 
offal,  from  which  we  drank  in  pannikins;  and  with  it 
were  hunks  of  mildewed  rye-bread.  One  mouthful 
sickened  me,  and  I  preferred  to  fast.  The  behaviour 
of  the  other  prisoners  was  most  seemly,  but  not  so  that 
of  my  company.  They  scrambled  for  the  stuff  like  pigs 
round  a  trough,  and  the  woman  Isobel  threatened 
with  her  nails  any  one  who  would  prevent  her.  I  was 
black  ashamed  to  enter  prison  with  such  a  crew,  and 
withdrew  myself  as  far  distant  as  the  chamber  allowed 
me. 

I  had  no  better  task  than  to  look  round  me  at  those 
who  had  tenanted  the  place  before  our  coming.  There 
were  three  women,  decent  looking  bodies,  who  talked 
low  in  whispers  and  knitted.  The  men  were  mostly 
country-folk,  culled,  as  I  could  tell  by  their  speech, 
from  the  west  country,  whose  only  fault,  no  doubt, 
was  that  they  had  attended  some  field-preaching.  One 
old  man,  a  minister  by  his  dress,  sat  apart  on  a  stone 
bench,  and  with  closed  eyes  communed  with  himself. 
I  ventured  to  address  him,  for  in  that  horrid  place  he 
had  a  welcome  air  of  sobriety  and  sense. 

He  asked  me  for  my  story,  and  when  he  heard  it 
looked  curiously  at  Muckle  John,  who  was  now  recit- 
ing gibberish  in  a  corner. 

"So  that  is  the  man  Gib,"  he  said  musingly.  "I  have 
heard  tell  of  him,  for  he  was  a  thorn  in  the  flesh  of 
blessed  Mr.  Cargill.  Often  have  I  heard  him  repeat 
how  he  went  to  Gib  in  the  moors  to  reason  with  him 

35 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

in  the  Lord's  name,  and  got  nothing  but  a  mouthful  of 
devilish  blasphemies.  He  Is  without  doubt  a  child  of 
Belial,  as  much  as  any  proud  persecutor.  Woe  Is  the 
Kirk,  when  her  foes  shall  be  of  her  own  household, 
for  it  is  with  the  words  of  the  Gospel  that  he  seeks  to 
overthrow  the  Gospel  work.  And  how  is  it  with  you, 
my  son?  Do  you  seek  to  add  your  testimony  to  the 
sweet  savour  which  now  ascends  from  moors,  mosses, 
peat-bogs,  closes,  kennels,  prisons,  dungeons,  ay,  and 
scaffolds  In  this  distressed  land  of  Scotland?  You  have 
not  told  me  your  name." 

When  he  heard  It  he  asked  for  my  father,  whom  he 
had  known  In  old  days  at  Edinburgh  College.  Then 
he  inquired  into  my  religious  condition  with  so  much 
fatherly  consideration  that  I  could  take  no  offence,  but 
told  him  honestly  that  I  was  little  of  a  partisan,  find- 
ing It  hard  enough  to  keep  my  own  feet  from  temptation 
without  judging  others.  "I  am  weary,"  I  said,  "of 
all  covenants  and  resolutions  and  excommunications 
and  the  constraining  of  men's  conscience  either  by  Gov- 
erment  or  sectaries.  Some  day,  and  I  pray  that  it 
may  be  soon,  both  sides  will  be  dead  of  their  wounds, 
and  there  will  arise  In  Scotland  men  who  will  preach 
peace  and  tolerance,  and  heal  the  grievously  irritated 
sores  of  this  land," 

He  sighed  as  he  heard  me.  "I  fear  you  are  still  far 
from  grace,  lad,"  he  said.  "You  are  shaping  for  a 
Laodicean,  of  whom  there  are  many  In  these  latter 
times.  I  do  not  know.  It  may  be  that  God  wills  that 
the  Laodlceans  have  their  day,  for  the  fires  of  our 
noble  covenant  have  flamed  too  smokily.     Yet  those 

36 


THE  CANONGATE  TOLBOOTH 

fires  die  not,  and  sometime  they  will  kindle  up,  purified 
and  strengthened,  and  will  burn  the  trash  and  stubble 
and  warm  God's  feckless  people." 

He  was  so  old  and  gentle  that  I  had  no  heart  for 
disputation,  and  could  only  beseech  his  blessing.  This 
he  gave  me  and  turned  once  more  to  his  devotions. 
I  was  very  weary,  my  head  was  splitting  with  the  foul 
air  of  the  place,  and  I  would  fain  have  got  me  to 
sleep.  Some  dirty  straw  had  been  laid  round  the  walls 
of  the  room  for  the  prisoners  to  lie  on,  and  I  found 
a  neuk  close  by  the  minister's  side. 

But  sleep  was  impossible,  for  Muckle  John  got  an- 
other fit  of  cursing.  He  stood  up  by  the  door  with  his 
eyes  blazing  like  a  wild-cat's,  and  delivered  what  he 
called  his  "testimony."  His  voice  had  been  used  to 
shout  orders  on  shipboard,  and  not  one  of  us  could 
stop  his  ears  against  It.  Never  have  I  heard  such  a 
medley  of  profane  nonsense.  He  cursed  the  man 
Charles  Stuart,  and  every  councillor  by  name ;  he  cursed 
the  Persecutors,  from  his  Highness  of  York  down  to 
one  Welch  of  Borrowstoneness,  who  had  been  the 
means  of  his  first  imprisonment;  he  cursed  the  indulged 
and  tolerated  ministers;  and  he  cursed  every  man  of  the 
hill-folk  whose  name  he  could  remember.  He  testified 
against  all  dues  and  cesses,  against  all  customs  and 
excises,  taxes  and  burdens;  against  beer  and  ale  and 
wines  and  tobacco;  against  mumming  and  peep-shows 
and  dancing,  and  every  sort  of  play;  against  Christmas 
and  Easter  and  Pentecost  and  Hogmanay.  Then  most 
nobly  did  he  embark  on  theology.  He  made  short 
work  of  hell  and  shorter  work  of  heaven.     He  raved 

37 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

against  idolaters  of  the  Kirk  and  of  the  Bible,  and 
against  all  preachers  who,  by  his  way  of  it,  had  per- 
verted the  Word.  As  he  went  on,  I  began  to  fancy 
that  Muckle  John's  true  place  was  with  the  Mussul- 
mans, for  he  left  not  a  stick  of  Christianity  behind 
him. 

Such  blasphemy  on  the  open  hill-side  had  been  shock- 
ing enough,  but  in  that  narrow  room  it  was  too  horrid 
to  be  borne.  The  minister  stuck  his  fingers  in  his  ears, 
and,  advancing  to  the  maniac,  bade  him  be  silent  before 
God  should  blast  him.  But  what  could  his  thin  old 
voice  do  against  Gib's  bellowing?  The  mariner  went 
on  undisturbed,  and  gave  the  old  man  a  blow  with  his 
foot  which  sent  him  staggering  to  the  floor. 

The  thing  had  become  too  much  for  my  temper.  I 
cried  on  the  other  men  to  help  me,  but  none  stirred, 
for  Gib  seemed  to  cast  an  unholy  spell  on  ordinary  folk. 
But  my  anger  and  discomfort  banished  all  fear,  and  I 
rushed  at  the  prophet  in  a  whirlwind.  He  had  no 
eyes  for  my  coming  till  my  head  took  him  fairly  in  the 
middle,  and  drove  the  breath  out  of  his  chest.  That 
quieted  his  noise,  and  he  turned  on  me  with  something 
like  wholesome  human  wrath  in  his  face. 

Now,  I  was  no  match  for  this  great  being  with  my 
ungrown  strength,  but  the  lesson  of  my  encounter  with 
the  dragoon  was  burned  on  my  mind,  and  I  was  de- 
termined to  keep  out  of  grips  with  him.  I  was  light  on 
my  feet,  and  in  our  country  bouts  had  often  worsted  a 
heavier  antagonist  by  my  quickness  in  movement.  So 
when  Muckle  John  leaped  to  grab  me,  I  darted  under 
his  arm,  and  he  staggered  half-way  across  the  room. 

38 


THE  CANONGATE  TOLBOOTH 

The  women  scuttled  into  a  corner,  all  but  the  besom 
Isobel,  who  made  clutches  at  my  coat. 

Crying  "The  sword  of  the  Lord  and  of  Gideon," 
Gib  made  a  great  lunge  at  me  with  his  fist.  But  the 
sword  of  Gideon  missed  its  aim,  and  skinned  its  knuc- 
kles on  the  stone  wall.  I  saw  now  to  my  great  com- 
fort that  the  man  was  beside  himself  with  fury,  and 
was  swinging  his  arms  wildly  like  a  flail.  Three  or 
four  times  I  avoided  his  rushes,  noting  with  satisfac- 
tion that  one  of  the  countrymen  had  got  hold  of  the 
shrieking  Isobel.  Then  my  chance  came,  for  as  he 
lunged  I  struck  from  the  side  with  all  my  force  on  his 
jaw.  I  am  left-handed,  and  the  blow  was  unlooked 
for.  He  staggered  back  a  step,  and  I  deftly  tripped 
him  up,  so  that  he  fell  with  a  crash  on  the  hard  floor. 

In  a  second  I  was  on  the  top  of  him,  shouting  to  the 
others  to  lend  me  a  hand.  This  they  did  at  last,  and  so 
mazed  was  he  with  the  fall,  being  a  mighty  heavy 
man,  that  he  scarcely  resisted.  "If  you  want  a  quiet 
night,"  I  cried  "we  must  silence  this  mountebank." 
With  three  leathern  belts,  one  my  own  and  two  bor- 
rowed, we  made  fast  his  feet  and  arms.  I  stuffed  a 
kerchief  into  his  mouth,  and  bound  his  jaws  with  an- 
other, but  not  so  tight  as  to  hinder  his  breathing. 
Then  we  rolled  him  into  a  corner,  where  he  lay  peace- 
fully making  the  sound  of  a  milch  cow  chewing  her  cud. 
I  returned  to  my  quarters  by  the  minister's  side,  and 
presently  from  utter  weariness  fell  into  an  uneasy 
sleep. 

I  woke  in  the  morning  greatly  refreshed  for  all  the 
closeness  of  the  air,  and,  the  memory  of  the  night's 

39 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

events  returning,  was  much  concerned  as  to  the  future. 
I  could  not  be  fighting  with  Muckle  John  all  the  time, 
and  I  made  no  doubt  that  once  his  limbs  were  freed 
he  would  try  to  kill  me.  The  others  were  still  asleep 
while  I  tiptoed  over  to  his  corner.  At  first  sight  I  got 
a  fearsome  shock,  for  I  thought  he  was  dead  of  suffo- 
cation. He  had  worked  the  gag  out  of  his  mouth, 
and  lay  as  still  as  a  corpse.  But  soon  I  saw  that  he  was 
sleeping  quietly,  and  in  his  slumbers  the  madness  had 
died  out  of  his  face.  He  looked  like  any  other  sailor- 
man,  a  trifle  ill-favoured  of  countenance,  and  dirty 
beyond  the  ordinary  of  sea-folk. 

When  the  gaoler  came  with  food,  we  all  wakened 
up,  and  Gib  asked  very  peaceably  to  be  released.  The 
gaoler  laughed  at  his  predicament,  and  inquired  the 
tale  of  it;  and  when  he  heard  the  truth,  called  for  a 
vote  as  to  what  he  should  do.  I  was  satisfied,  from 
the  look  of  Muckle  John,  that  his  dangerous  fit  was 
over,  so  I  gave  my  voice  for  release.  Gib  shook  him- 
self like  a  great  dog,  and  fell  to  his  breakfast  without 
a  word.  I  found  the  thin  brose  provided  more  palat- 
able than  the  soup  of  the  evening  before,  and  managed 
to  consume  a  pannikin  of  it.  As  I  finished,  I  perceived 
that  Gib  had  squatted  by  my  side.  There  was  clearly 
some  change  in  the  man,  for  he  gave  the  woman  Isobel 
some  very  ill  words  when  she  started  ranting. 

Up  in  the  little  square  of  window  one  could  see  a 
patch  of  clear  sky,  with  white  clouds  crossing  it,  and 
a  gust  of  the  clean  air  of  morning  was  blown  into  our 
cell.  Gib  sat  looking  at  It  with  his  eyes  abstracted, 
so  that  I  feared  a  renewal  of  his  daftness. 

40 


THE  CANONGATE  TOLBOOTH 

"Can  ye  whistle  'Jenny  Nettles,'  sir?"  he  asked  me 
civilly. 

It  was  surely  a  queer  request  in  that  place  and  from 
such  a  fellow.  But  I  complied,  and  to  the  best  of  my 
skill  rendered  the  air. 

He  listened  greedily.  "Ay,  you've  got  it,"  he  said, 
hum^ming  it  after  me.  "I  aye  love  the  way  of  it.  Yon's 
the  tune  I  used  to  whistle  mysel'  on  shipboard  when 
the  weather  was  clear." 

He  had  the  seaman's  trick  of  thinking  of  the  weather 
first  thing  in  the  morning,  and  this  little  thing  wrought 
a  change  in  my  view  of  him.  His  madness  was  seem- 
ingly like  that  of  an  epileptic,  and  when  it  passed  he 
was  a  simple  creature  with  a  longing  for  familiar 
things. 

"The  wind's  to  the  east,"  he  said.  "I  could  wish 
I  were  beating  down  the  Forth  in  the  Loupin'  Jean. 
She  was  a  trim  bit  boat  for  him  that  could  handle  her." 

"Man,"  I  said,  "what  made  you  leave  a  clean  job 
for  the  ravings  of  yesterday?" 

"Tm  in  the  Lord's  hands,"  he  said  humbly.  "I'm 
but  a  penny  whistle  for  His  breath  to  blow  on."  This 
he  said  with  such  solemnity  that  the  meaning  of  a 
fanatic  was  suddenly  revealed  to  me.  One  or  two  dis- 
torted notions,  a  wild  imagination,  and  fierce  passions, 
and  there  you  have  the  ingredients  ready.  But  mo- 
ments of  sense  must  come,  when  the  better  nature  of 
the  man  revives.  I  had  a  thought  that  the  clout  he 
got  on  the  stone  floor  had  done  much  to  clear  his  wits. 

"What  will  they  do  wi'  me,  think  ye?"  he  asked. 
"This  is  the  second  time  I've  fallen  into  the  hands  o' 

41 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

the  Amalekltes,  and  it's  no  likely  they'll  let  me  off 
sae  lightly." 

"What  will  they  do  with  us  all?"  said  I.  "The 
Plantations  maybe,  or  the  Bass!  It's  a  bonny  creel 
you've  landed  me  in,  for  I'm  as  innocent  as  a  new- 
born babe." 

The  notion  of  the  Plantations  seemed  to  comfort 
him.  "I've  been  there  afore,  once  in  the  brig  John 
Rolfe  o'  Greenock,  and  once  in  the  Luckpenny  o'  Leith. 
It's  a  het  land  but  a  bonny,  and  full  o'  all  manner  o' 
fruits.  You  can  see  tobacco  growin'  like  aits,  and 
mair  big  trees  in  one  plantin'  than  in  all  the  shire  o' 
Lothian.     Besides " 

But  I  got  no  more  of  Muckle  John's  travels,  for  the 
door  opened  on  that  instant,  and  the  gaoler  appeared. 
He  looked  at  our  heads,  then  singled  me  out,  and  cried 
on  me  to  follow.  "Come  on,  you,"  he  said.  "Ye're 
wantit  in  the  captain's  room." 

I  followed  in  bewilderment;  for  I  knew  something 
of  the  law's  delays,  and  I  could  not  believe  that  my 
hour  of  trial  had  corne  already.  The  man  took  me 
down  the  turret  stairs  and  through  a  long  passage  to 
a  door  where  stood  two  halberdiers.  Through  this  he 
thrust  me,  and  I  found  myself  in  a  handsome  panelled 
apartment  with  the  city  arms  carved  above  the  chim- 
ney. A  window  stood  open,  and  I  breathed  the  sweet, 
fresh  air  with  delight.  But  I  caught  a  reflection  of 
myself  in  the  polished  steel  of  the  fireplace,  and  my 
spirits  fell,  for  a  more  woebegone  ruffian  my  eyes 
had  never  seen.  I  was  as  dirty  as  a  collier,  my  coat 
was    half    off    my    back    from    my    handling    on    the 

42 


THE  CANONGATE  TOLBOOTH 

moor,  and  there  were  long  rents  at  the  knees  of  my 
breeches. 

Another  door  opened,  and  two  persons  entered. 
One  was  a  dapper  little  man  with  a  great  wig,  very 
handsomely  dressed  in  a  plum-coloured  silken  coat, 
with  a  snowy  cravat  at  his  neck.  At  the  sight  of  the 
other  my  face  crimsoned,  for  it  was  the  girl  who  had 
sung  Montrose's  song  in  the  rain. 

The  little  gentleman  looked  at  me  severely,  and  then 
turned  to  his  companion.  "Is  this  the  fellow,  Els- 
peth?"  he  inquired.     "He  looks  a  sorry  rascal." 

The  minx  pretended  to  examine  me  carefully.  Her 
colour  was  high  with  the  fresh  morning,  and  she  kept 
tapping  her  boot  with  her  whip  handle. 

"Why,  yes.  Uncle  Gregory,"  she  said.  "It  is  the 
very  man,  though  none  the  better  for  your  night's  at- 
tentions." 

"And  you  say  he  had  no  part  in  Gib's  company,  but 
interfered  on  your  behalf  when  the  madman  threatened 
you?" 

"Such  was  his  impertinence,"  she  said,  "as  if  I  were 
not  a  match  for  a  dozen  crazy  hill-folk.  But  doubtless 
the  lad  meant  well." 

"It  is  also  recorded  against  him  that  he  assaulted 
one  of  His  Majesty's  servants,  to  wit,  the  trooper 
John  Donald,  and  offered  to  hinder  him  in  the  prose- 
cution of  his  duty." 

"La,  uncle!"  cried  the  girl,  "who  is  to  distinguish 
friend  from  foe  in  a  mellay?  Have  you  never  seen 
a  dog  in  a  fight  bite  the  hand  of  one  who  would  suc- 
cour him?" 

43 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

"Maybe,  maybe,"  said  the  gentleman.  "Your  illus- 
trations, Elspath,  would  do  credit  to  His  Majesty's 
advocate.  Your  plea  is  that  this  young  man,  whose 
name  I  do  not  know  and  do  not  seek  to  hear,  should 
be  freed  or  justice  will  miscarry?  God  knows  the  law 
has  enough  to  do  without  clogging  its  wheels  with 
innocence." 

The  girl  nodded.  Her  wicked,  laughing  eyes 
roamed  about  the  apartment  with  little  regard  for 
my  flushed  face, 

"Then  the  Crown  assoilzies  the  panel  and  deserts 
the  diet,"  said  the  little  gentleman.  "Speak,  sir,  and 
thank  His  Majesty  for  his  clemency,  and  this  lady  for 
her  intercession." 

I  had  no  words,  for  if  I  had  been  sore  at  my  im- 
prisonment, I  was  black  angry  at  this  manner  of  re- 
lease. I  did  not  reflect  that  Miss  Elspath  Blair  must 
have  risen  early  and  ridden  far  to  be  in  the  Canongate 
at  this  hour.  'Twas  justice  only  that  moved  her,  I 
thought,  and  no  gratitude  or  kindness.  To  her  I  was 
something  so  lowly  that  she  need  not  take  the  pains 
to  be  civil,  but  must  speak  of  me  in  my  presence  as  if 
it  were  a  question  of  a  stray  hound.  My  first  impulse 
was  to  refuse  to  stir,  but  happily  my  good  sense  re- 
turned in  time  and  preserved  me  from  playing  the 
fool. 

"I  thank  you,  sir,"  I  said  gruffly — "and  the  lady. 
Do  I  understand  that  I  am  free  to  go?" 

"Through  the  door,  down  the  left  stairway,  and 
you  will  be  in  the  street,"  said  the  gentleman. 

I  made  some  sort  of  bow  and  moved  to  the  door. 

44 


THE  CANONGATE  TOLBOOTH 

^'Farewell,  Mr.  Whiggamore,"  the  girl  cried.  "Keep 
a  cheerful  countenance,  or  they'll  think  you  a  Sweet- 
Singer.     Your  breeches  will  mend,  man." 

And  with  her  laughter  most  unpleasantly  in  my  ears 
I  made  my  way  into  the  Canongate,  and  so  to  my 
lodgings  at  Mrs.  Macvittie's. 

Three  weeks  later  I  heard  that  Muckle  John  was 
destined  for  the  Plantations  in  a  ship  of  Mr.  Barclay 
of  Urie's,  which  traded  to  New  Jersey.  I  had  a  fancy 
to  see  him  before  he  went,  and  after  much  trouble  I 
was  suffered  to  visit  him.  His  gaoler  told  me  he  had 
been  mighty  wild  during  his  examination  before  the 
Council,  and  had  had  frequent  bouts  of  madness  since, 
but  for  the  moment  he  was  peaceable.  I  found  him 
in  a  little  cell  by  himself,  outside  the  common  room  of. 
the  gaol.  He  was  sitting  in  an  attitude  of  great  de- 
jection, and  when  I  entered  could  scarcely  recall  me 
to  his  memory.  I  remember  thinking  that,  what  with 
his  high  cheek-bones,  and  lank  black  hair,  and  brood- 
ing eyes,  and  great  muscular  frame,  Scotland  could 
scarcely  have  furnished  a  wilder  figure  for  the  admira- 
tion of  the  Carolinas,  or  wherever  he  went  to.  I  did 
not  envy  his  future  master. 

But  with  me  he  was  very  friendly  and  quiet.  His 
ailment  was  home-sickness;  for  though  he  had  been  a 
great  voyager,  it  seemed  he  was  loath  to  quit  our 
bleak  countryside  for  ever.  "I  used  aye  to  think  o' 
the  first  sight  o'  Inchkeith  and  the  Lomond  hills,  and 
the  smell  o'  herrings  at  the  pier  o'  Leith.  What  says 
the  Word?    'Weep  not  for  the  dead,  neither  beifioan 

4S 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

him;  but  weep  sore  for  him  that  goeth  away,  for  he 
shall  return  no  more,  nor  see  his  native  country.'  " 

I  asked  him  if  I  could  do  him  any  service. 

"There's  a  woman  at  Cramond,"  he  began  timidly. 
"She  might  like  to  ken  what  had  become  o'  me.  Would 
ye  carry  a  message?" 

I  did  better,  for  at  Gib's  dictation  I  composed  for 
her  a  letter,  since  he  could  not  write.  I  wrote  it  on 
some  blank  pages  from  my  pocket  which  I  used  for 
College  notes.  It  was  surely  the  queerest  love-letter 
ever  indited,  for  the  most  part  of  it  was  theology,  and 
the  rest  was  instructions  for  the  disposing  of  his  scanty 
plenishing.  I  have  forgotten  now  what  I  wrote,  but 
I  remember  that  the  woman's  name  was  Alison  Steel. 


CHAPTER  IV 

OF  A  STAIRHEAD  AND  A  SEA-CAPTAIN 

WITH  the  escapade  that  landed  me  in  the  Tol- 
booth  there  came  an  end  to  the  nightmare  years 
of  my  first  youth.  A  week  later  I  got  word  that  my 
father  was  dead  of  an  ague  in  the  Low  Countries,  and 
I  had  to  be  off  post-haste  to  Auchencairn  to  see  to  the 
ordering  of  our  little  estate.  We  were  destined  to  be 
bitter  poor,  what  with  dues  and  regalities  incident  on 
the  passing  of  the  ownership,  and  I  thought  it  best  to 
leave  my  mother  to  farm  it,  with  the  help  of  Robin 
Gilfillan  the  grieve,  and  seek  employment  which  would 
bring  me  an  honest  penny.  Her  one  brother,  Andrew 
Sempill,  from  whom  I  was  named,  was  a  merchant  in 
Glasgow,  the  owner  of  three  ships  that  traded  to  the 
Western  Seas,  and  by  repute  a  man  of  a  shrewd  and 
venturesome  temper.  He  was  single,  too,  and  I  might 
reasonably  look  to  be  his  heir;  so  when  a  letter  came 
from  him  offering  me  a  hand  in  his  business,  my  mother 
was  instant  for  my  going.  I  was  little  loath  myself, 
for  I  saw  nothing  now  to  draw  me  to  the  profession 
of  the  law,  which  had  been  my  first  notion.  "Hame's 
hame,"  runs  the  proverb,  "as  the  devil  said  when  he 

47 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

found  himself  In  the  Court  of  Session,"  and  I  had  lost 
any  desire  for  that  sinister  company.  Besides,  I  liked 
the  notion  of  having  to  do  with  ships  and  far  lands; 
for  I  was  at  the  age  when  youth  burns  fiercely  in  a  lad, 
and  his  fancy  is  as  riotous  as  a  poet's. 

Yet  the  events  I  have  just  related  had  worked  a 
change  in  my  life.  They  had  driven  the  unthinking 
child  out  of  me  and  forced  me  to  reflect  on  my  future. 
Two  things  rankled  in  my  soul — a  wench's  mocking 
laughter  and  the  treatment  I  had  got  from  the  dragoon. 
It  was  not  that  I  was  in  love  with  the  black-haired  girl; 
indeed,  I  think  I  hated  her;  but  1  could  not  get  her  face 
out  of  my  head  or  her  voice  out  of  my  ears.  She  had 
mocked  me,  treated  me  as  if  I  was  no  more  than  a 
foolish  servant,  and  my  vanity  was  raw.  I  longed  to 
beat  down  her  pride,  to  make  her  creep  humbly  to 
me,  Andrew  Garvald,  as  her  only  deliverer;  and  how 
that  should  be  compassed  was  the  subject  of  many  hot 
fantasies  in  my  brain.  The  dragoon,  too,  had  tossed 
me  about  like  a  silly  sheep,  and  my  manhood  cried 
out  at  the  recollection.  What  sort  of  man  was  I  if 
any  lubberly  soldier  could  venture  on  such  liberties? 

I  went  into  the  business  with  the  monstrous  solem- 
nity of  youth,  and  took  stock  of  my  equipment  as  if  I 
were  casting  up  an  account.  Many  a  time  in  those  days 
I  studied  my  appearance  in  the  glass  like  a  foolish 
maid.  I  was  not  well  featured,  having  a  freckled, 
square  face,  a  biggish  head,  a  blunt  nose,  grey,  colour- 
less eyes,  and  a  sandy  thatch  of  hair.  I  had  great 
square  shoulders,  but  my  arms  were  too  short  for  my 
stature,  and — from  an  accident  in  my  nursing  days — 

48 


OF  A  STAIRHEAD  AND  A  SEA-CAPTAIN 

of  indifferent  strength.  All  this  stood  on  the  debit 
side  of  my  account.  On  the  credit  side  I  set  down 
that  I  had  unshaken  good  health  and  an  uncommon 
power  of  endurance,  especially  in  the  legs.  There 
was  no  runner  in  the  Upper  Ward  of  Lanark  who  was 
my  match,  and  I  had  travelled  the  hills  so  constantly  in 
all  weathers  that  I  had  acquired  a  gipsy  lore  in  the 
matter  of  beasts  and  birds  and  wild  things.  I  had  long, 
clear,  unerring  eyesight,  which  had  often  stood  me  in 
good  stead  in  the  time  of  my  father's  troubles.  Of 
moral  qualities.  Heaven  forgive  me,  I  fear  I  thought 
less;  but  I  believed,  though  I  had  been  little  proved, 
that  I  was  as  courageous  as  the  common  run  of  men. 

All  this  looks  babyish  in  the  writing,  but  there  was  a 
method  in  this  self-examination.  I  believe  that  I  was 
fated  to  engage  in  strange  ventures,  and  I  wanted  to 
equip  myself  for  the  future.  The  pressing  business 
was  that  of  self-defence,  and  I  turned  first  to  a  gentle- 
man's proper  weapon,  the  sword.  Here,  alas!  I  was 
doomed  to  a  bitter  disappointment.  My  father  had 
given  me  a  lesson  now  and  then,  but  never  enough  to 
test  me,  and  when  I  came  into  the  hands  of  a  Glasgow 
master  my  unfitness  was  soon  manifest.  Neither  with 
broadsword  nor  small  sword  could  I  acquire  any  skill. 
My  short  arm  lacked  reach  and  vigour,  and  there 
seemed  to  be  some  stiffness  in  wrist  and  elbow  and 
shoulder  which  compelled  me  to  yield  to  smaller  men. 
Here  was  a  pretty  business,  for  though  gentleman  born 
I  was  as  loutish  with  a  gentleman's  weapon  as  any 
country  hind. 

This  discovery  gave  me  some  melancholy  weeks,  but 

49 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

I  plucked  up  heart  and  set  to  reasoning.  If  my  hand 
were  to  guard  my  head  it  must  find  some  other  way 
of  it.  My  thoughts  turned  to  powder  and  shot,  to  the 
musket  and  the  pistol.  Here  was  a  weapon  which 
needed  only  a  stout  nerve,  a  good  eye,  and  a  steady 
hand;  one  of  these  I  possessed  to  the  full,  and  the 
others  were  not  beyond  my  attainment.  There  lived 
an  armourer  in  the  Gallowgate,  one  Weir,  with  whom 
I  began  to  spend  my  leisure.  There  was  an  alley  by 
the  Molendinar  Burn,  close  to  the  archery  butts,  where 
he  would  let  me  practise  at  a  mark  with  guns  from 
his  store.  Soon  to  my  delight  I  found  that  here  was 
a  weapon  with  which  I  need  fear  few  rivals.  I  had  a 
natural  genius  for  the  thing,  as  some  men  have  for 
sword-play,  and  Weir  was  a  zealous  teacher,  for  he 
loved  his  flintlocks. 

"See,Andrew,"he  would  cry, "this  is  the  true  leveller 
of  mankind.  It  will  make  the  man  his  master's  equal, 
for  though  your  gentleman  may  cock  on  a  horse  and 
wave  his  Andrew  Ferrara,  this  will  bring  him  off  it. 
Brains,  my  lad,  will  tell  in  coming  days,  for  it  takes  a 
head  to  shoot  well,  though  any  flesher  may  swing  a 
sword." 

The  better  marksman  I  grew  the  less  I  liked  the 
common  make  of  guns,  and  I  cast  about  to  work  an 
improvement.  I  was  especially  fond  of  the  short  gun 
or  pistol,  not  the  bell-mouthed  thing  which  shot  a 
handful  of  slugs,  and  was  as  little  precise  in  its  aim 
as  a  hail-storm,  but  the  light  foreign  pistol  which  shot 
as  true  as  a  musket.  Weir  had  learned  his  trade  in 
Italy,  and  was  a  neat  craftsman,  so  I  employed  him 

50 


OF  A  STAIRHEAD  AND  A  SEA-CAPTAIN 

to  make  me  a  pistol  after  my  own  pattern.  The  butt 
was  of  light,  tough  wood,  and  brass-bound,  for  I  did 
not  care  to  waste  money  on  ornament.  The  barrel  was 
shorter  than  the  usual,  and  of  the  best  Spanish  metal, 
and  the  pan  and  the  lock  were  set  after  my  own  device. 
Nor  was  that  all,  for  I  became  an  epicure  in  the  matter 
of  bullets,  and  made  my  own  with  the  care  of  a  gold- 
smith. I  would  weigh  out  the  powder  charges  as 
nicely  as  an  apothecary  weighs  his  drugs,  for  I  had  dis- 
covered that  with  the  pistol  the  weight  of  bullet  and 
charge  meant  much  for  good  marksmanship.  From 
Weir  I  got  the  notion  of  putting  up  ball  and  powder 
in  cartouches,  and  I  devised  a  method  of  priming  much 
quicker  and  surer  than  the  ordinary.  In  one  way  and 
another  I  believe  I  acquired  more  skill  in  the  business 
than  anybody  then  living  in  Scotland.  I  cherished  my 
toy  like  a  lover;  I  christened  it  "Elspeth" ;  it  lay  by 
my  bed  at  night,  and  lived  by  day  in  a  box  of  sweet- 
scented  foreign  wood  given  me  by  one  of  my  uncle's 
skippers.  I  doubt  I  thought  more  of  it  than  of  my 
duty  to  my  Maker. 

All  the  time  I  was  very  busy  at  Uncle  Andrew's 
counting-house  in  the  Candleriggs,  and  down  by  the 
river-side  among  the  sailors.  It  was  the  day  when 
Glasgow  was  rising  from  a  cluster  of  streets  round  the 
High  Kirk  and  College  to  be  the  chief  merchants' 
resort  in  Scotland.  Standing  near  the  Western  Seas, 
she  turned  her  eyes  naturally  to  the  Americas,  and  a 
great  trade  was  beginning  in  tobacco  and  raw  silk  from 
Virginia,  rich  woods  and  dye-stuffs  from  the  Main,  and 
rice  and  fruits  from  the  Summer  Islands.     The  river 

51 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

was  too  shallow  for  ships  of  heavy  burthen,  so  it  was 
the  custom  to  unload  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Green- 
ock and  bring  the  goods  upstream  in  barges  to  the  quay 
at  the  Broomielaw.  There  my  uncle,  in  company  with 
other  merchants,  had  his  warehouse,  but  his  count- 
ing-house was  up  in  the  town,  near  by  the  College,  and 
I  spent  my  time  equally  between  the  two  places.  I 
became  furiously  interested  in  the  work,  for  it  has  ever 
been  my  happy  fortune  to  be  intent  on  whatever  I 
might  be  doing  at  the  moment.  I  think  I  served  my 
uncle  well,  for  I  had  much  of  the  merchant's  aptitude, 
and  the  eye  to  discern  far-away  profits.  He  liked  my 
boldness,  for  I  was  impatient  of  the  rule-of-thumb 
ways  of  some  of  our  fellow-traders.  "We  are  dealing 
with  new  lands,"  I  would  say,  "and  there  is  need  of 
new  plans.  It  pays  to  think  in  trading  as  much  as  in 
statecraft."  There  were  plenty  that  looked  askance  at 
us,  and  cursed  us  as  troublers  of  the  peace,  and  there 
were  some  who  prophesied  speedy  ruin.  But  we  dis- 
comforted our  neighbours  by  prospering  mightily,  so 
that  there  was  talk  of  Uncle  Andrew  for  the  Provost's 
chair  at  the  next  vacancy. 

They  were  happy  years,  the  four  I  spent  in  Glas- 
gow, for  I  was  young  and  ardent,  and  had  not  yet  suf- 
fered the  grave  miscarriage  of  hope  which  is  our 
human  lot.  My  uncle  was  a  busy  merchant,  but  he  was 
also  something  of  a  scholar,  and  was  never  happier 
than  when  disputing  some  learned  point  with  a  college 
professor  over  a  bowl  of  punch.  He  was  a  great  fisher- 
man, too,  and  many  a  salmon  I  have  seen  him  kill  be- 
tween the  town  and  Rutherglen  in  the  autumn  after- 

52 


OF  A  STAIRHEAD  AND  A  SEA-CAPTAIN 

noons.  He  treated  me  like  a  son,  and  by  his  aid  I 
completed  my  education  by  much  reading  of  books  and 
a  frequent  attendance  at  college  lectures.  Such  leisure 
as  I  had  I  spent  by  the  river-side  talking  with  the  ship 
captains  and  getting  news  of  far  lands.  In  this  way  I 
learned  something  of  the  handling  of  a  ship,  and  espe- 
cially how  to  sail  a  sloop  alone  in  rough  weather.  I 
have  ventured,  myself  the  only  crew,  far  down  the 
river  to  the  beginning  of  the  sea-lochs,  and  more  than 
once  escaped  drowning  by  a  miracle.  Of  a  Saturday  I 
would  sometimes  ride  out  to  Auchencairn  to  see  my 
mother  and  assist  with  my  advice  the  work  of  Robin 
Gilfillan.  Once  I  remember  I  rode  to  Carnwath,  and 
looked  again  on  the  bleak  house  where  the  girl  Elspeth 
had  sung  to  me  In  the  rain.  I  found  It  locked  and 
deserted,  and  heard  from  a  countrywoman  that  the 
folk  had  gone.  "And  a  guld  riddance,"  said  the  wo- 
man. "The  Blairs  was  aye  a  cauld  and  oppressive  race, 
and  they  were  black  Prelatlsts  forbye.  But  I  whiles 
mis  yon  helllcat  lassie.  She  had  a  cheery  word  for 
a'body,  and  she  keepit  the  place  frae  languor." 

But  I  cannot  linger  over  the  tale  of  those  peaceful 
years  when  I  have  so  much  that  Is  strange  and  stirring 
to  set  down.  Presently  came  the  Revolution,  when 
King  James  fled  overseas,  and  the  Dutch  King  Wil- 
liam reigned  in  his  stead.  The  event  was  a  godsend  to 
our  trade,  for  with  Scotland  In  a  bicker  with  Covenants 
and  dragoonings,  and  new  taxes  threatened  with  each 
new  Parliament,  a  merchant's  credit  was  apt  to  be  a 
brittle  thing.  The  change  brought  a  measure  of  se- 
curity, and  as  we  prospered  I  soon  began  to  see  that 

53 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

something  must  be  done  in  our  Virginian  trade.  Years 
before,  my  uncle  had  sent  out  a  man,  Lambie  by  name, 
who  watched  his  interests  in  that  country.  But  we  had 
to  face  such  fierce  rivalry  from  the  Bristol  merchants 
that  I  had  small  confidence  in  Mr.  Lambie,  who  from 
his  letters  was  a  sleepy  soul.  I  broached  the  matter 
to  my  uncle,  and  offered  to  go  myself  and  put  things 
in  order.  At  first  he  was  unwilling  to  listen.  I  think 
he  was  sorry  to  part  with  me,  for  we  had  become  close 
friends,  and  there  was  also  the  difficulty  of  my  mother, 
to  whom  I  was  the  natural  protector.  But  his  opposi- 
tion died  down  when  I  won  my  mother  to  my  side,  and 
when  I  promised  that  I  would  duly  return.  I  pointed 
out  that  Glasgow  and  Virginia  were  not  so  far  apart. 
Planters  from  the  colony  would  dwell  with  us  for  a 
season,  and  their  sons  often  come  to  Glasgow  for  their 
schooling.  You  could  see  the  proud  fellows  walking 
the  streets  in  brave  clothes,  and  marching  Into  the  kirk 
on  Sabbath  with  a  couple  of  servants  carrying  cush- 
ions and  Bibles.  In  the  better  class  of  tavern  one 
could  always  meet  with  a  Virginian  or  two  compound- 
ing their  curious  drinks,  and  swearing  their  outlandish 
oaths.  Most  of  them  had  gone  afield  from  Scotland, 
and  it  was  a  fine  incentive  to  us  young  men  to  see  how 
mightily  they  had  prospered. 

My  uncle  yielded,  and  it  was  arranged  that  I  should 
sail  with  the  first  convoy  of  the  New  Year.  From 
the  moment  of  the  decision  I  walked  the  earth  in  a 
delirium  of  expectation.  That  February,  I  remember, 
was  blue  and  mild,  with  soft  airs  blowing  up  the  river. 
Down  by  the  Broomielaw  I  found  a  new  rapture  in  the 

54 


OF  A  STAIRHEAD  AND  A  SEA-CAPTAIN 

smell  of  tar  and  cordage,  and  the  queer  foreign  scents 
in  my  uncle's  warehouse.  Every  skipper  and  greasy 
sailor  became  for  me  a  figure  of  romance.  I  scanned 
every  outland  face,  wondering  if  I  should  meet  it  again 
in  the  New  World.  A  negro  in  cotton  drawers,  shiver- 
ing in  our  northern  clime,  had  more  attraction  for  me 
than  the  fairest  maid,  and  I  was  eager  to  speak  with 
all  and  every  one  who  had  crossed  the  ocean.  One 
bronzed  mariner  with  silver  earrings  I  entertained  to 
three  stoups  of  usquebaugh,  hoping  for  strange  tales, 
but  the  little  I  had  from  him  before  he  grew  drunk, 
was  that  he  had  once  voyaged  to  the  Canaries.  You 
may  Imagine  that  I  kept  my  fancies  to  myself,  and  was 
outwardly  only  the  sober  merchant  with  a  mind  set 
on  freights  and  hogsheads.  But  whoever  remembers 
his  youth  will  know  that  such  terms  to  me  were  not  the 
common  parlance  of  trade.  The  very  names  of  the 
tobaccos — Negro's  Head,  Sweet-scented,  Oronoke, 
Carolina  Red,  Gloucester  Glory,  Golden  Rod — sang 
in  my  head  like  a  tune,  that  told  of  green  forests  and 
magic  Islands. 

But  an  incident  befell  ere  I  left  which  was  to  have 
unforeseen  effects  on  my  future.  One  afternoon  I 
was  in  the  shooting  alley  I  have  spoken  of,  making  trial 
of  a  new  size  of  bullet  I  had  moulded.  The  place  was 
just  behind  Parlane's  tavern,  and  some  gentlemen, 
who  had  been  drinking  there,  came  out  to  cool  their 
heads  and  see  the  sport.  Most  of  them  were  cock- 
lairds  from  the  Lennox,  and,  after  the  Highland  fash- 
ion, had  in  their  belts  heavy  pistols  of  the  old  kind 
which  folk  called  "dags."     They  were  cumbrous,  ill- 

55 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

t 

made  things,  gaudily  ornamented  with  silver  and  Da- 
mascus work,  fit  ornaments  for  a  savage  Highland 
chief,  but  little  good  for  serious  business,  unless  a 
man  were  only  a  pace  or  two  from  his  opponent.  One 
of  them,  who  had  drunk  less  than  the  others,  came  up 
to  me  and  very  civilly  proposed  a  match.  I  was  noth- 
ing loath,  so  a  course  was  fixed,  and  a  mutchkin  of 
French  eau  de  vie  named  as  the  prize.  I  borrowed  an 
old  hat  from  the  landlord  which  had  stuck  in  its  side 
a  small  red  cockade.  The  thing  was  hung  as  a  target 
in  a  leafless  cherry  tree  at  twenty  paces,  and  the  cock- 
ade was  to  be  the  centre  mark.  Each  man  was  to  fire 
three  shots  apiece. 

Barshalloch — for  so  his  companions  called  my  op- 
ponent after  his  lairdship — made  a  great  to-do  about 
the  loading,  and  would  not  be  content  till  he  had 
drawn  the  charge  two-three  times.  The  spin  of  a  coin 
gave  him  first  shot,  and  he  missed  the  mark  and  cut 
the  bole  of  the  tree. 

"See,"  I  said,  "I  will  put  my  ball  within  a  finger's- 
breadth  of  his."  Sure  enough,  when  they  looked,  the 
two  bullets  were  all  but  in  the  same  hole. 

His  second  shot  took  the  hat  low  down  on  its  right 
side,  and  clipped  away  a  bit  of  the  brim.  I  saw  by  this 
time  that  the  man  could  shoot,  though  he  had  a  poor 
weapon  and  understood  little  about  it.  So  I  told  the 
company  that  I  would  trim  the  hat  by  slicing  a  bit 
from  the  other  side.  This  I  achieved,  though  by  little, 
for  my  shot  removed  only  half  as  much  cloth  as  its 
predecessor.  But  the  performance  amazed  the  on- 
lookers.     "Ye've   found  a   fair  provost  at  the  job, 

S6 


OF  A  STAIRHEAD  AND  A  SEA-CAPTAIN 

Barshalloch,"  one  of  them  hiccupped.      "Better  quit 
and  pay  for  the  mutchkin." 

My  antagonist  toolc  every  care  with  his  last  shot,  and, 
just  missing  the  cockade,  hit  the  hat  about  the  middle, 
cut  the  branch  on  which  it  rested,  and  brought  it 
fluttering  to  the  ground  a  pace  or  two  farther  on.  It 
lay  there,  dimly  seen  through  a  low  branch  of  the 
cherry  tree,  with  the  cockade  on  the  side  nearest  me. 
It  was  a  difficult  mark,  but  the  light  was  good  and  my 
hand  steady.  I  walked  forward  and  brought  back  the 
hat  with  a  hole  drilled  clean  through  the  cockade. 

At  that  there  was  a  great  laughter,  and  much  jo- 
cosity from  the  cock-lairds  at  their  friend's  expense. 
Barshalloch  very  handsomely  complimented  me,  and 
sent  for  the  mutchkin.  His  words  made  me  warm 
towards  him,  and  I  told  him  that  half  the  business  was 
not  my  skill  of  shooting  but  the  weapon  I  carried. 

He  begged  for  a  look  at  it,  and  examined  it  long  and 
carefully. 

"Will  ye  sell,  friend?"  he  asked.  "I'll  give  ye  ten 
golden  guineas  and  the  best  filly  that  ever  came  out  o' 
Strathendrick  for  that  pistol."  But  I  told  him  that  the 
offer  of  Strathendrick  itself  would  not  buy  it. 

"No?"  said  he.  "Well,  I  won't  say  ye're  wrong. 
A  man  should  cherish  his  weapon  like  his  wife,  for  it 
carries  his  honour." 

Presently,  having  drunk  the  wager,  they  went  in- 
doors again,  all  but  a  tall  fellow  who  had  been  a  looker- 
on,  but  had  not  been  of  the  Lennox  company.  I  had 
remarked  him  during  the  contest,  a  long,  lean  man 
with  a  bright,  humorous  blue  eye  and  a  fiery  red  head. 

57 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

He  was  maybe  ten  years  older  than  me,  and  though  he 
was  finely  dressed  in  town  clothes,  there  was  about  his 
whole  appearance  a  smack  of  the  sea.  He  came  for- 
ward, and,  In  a  very  Highland  voice,  asked  my 
name. 

"Why  should  I  tell  you?"  I  said,  a  little  nettled. 

"Just  that  I  might  carry  It  in  my  head.  I  have 
seen  some  pretty  shooting  in  my  day,  but  none  like 
yours,  young  one.  What's  your  trade  that  ye've 
learned  the  pistol  game  so  cleverly?" 

Now  I  was  flushed  with  pride,  and  In  no  mood  for  a 
stranger's  patronage.  So  I  told  him  roundly  that  It 
was  none  of  his  business,  and  pushed  by  him  to  Par- 
lane's  back-door.  But  my  brusqueness  gave  no  offence 
to  this  odd  being.  He  only  laughed  and  cried  after 
me  that,  if  my  manners  were  the  equal  of  my  marks- 
manship, I  would  be  the  best  lad  he  had  seen  since  his 
homecoming. 

I  had  dinner  with  my  uncle  In  the  Candlerlggs,  and 
sat  with  him  late  afterwards  casting  up  accounts,  so  It 
was  not  till  nine  o'clock  that  I  set  out  on  my 
way  to  my  lodgings.  These  were  in  the  Saltmarket, 
close  on  the  river  front,  and  to  reach  them  I  went  by 
the  short  road  through  the  Friar's  Vennel.  It  was  an 
ill-reputed  quarter  of  the  town,  and  not  long  before 
had  been  noted  as  a  haunt  of  coiners;  but  I  had  gone 
through  It  often,  and  met  with  no  hindrance. 

In  the  vennel  stood  a  tall  dark  bit  of  masonry  called 
Gilmour's  Lordship,  which  was  pierced  by  long  closes 
from  which  twisting  stairways  led  to  the  upper  land- 
ings.    I  was  noting  its  gloomy  aspect  under  the  dim 

58 


OF  A  STAIRHEAD  AND  A  SEA-CAPTAIN 

February  moon,  when  a  man  came  towards  me  and 
turned  into  one  of  the  closes.  He  swung  along  with 
a  free,  careless  gait  that  marked  him  as  no  townsman, 
and  ere  he  plunged  into  the  darkness  I  had  a  glimpse 
of  fiery  hair.  It  was  the  stranger  who  had  accosted 
me  in  Parlane's  alley,  and  he  was  either  drunk  or  in 
wild  spirits,  for  he  was  singing: 

"We're  a'  dry  wi'  the  drinkin'  o't, 
We're  a'  dry  wi'  the  drinkin'  o't. 
The  minister  kissed  the  fiddler's  wife, 
And  he  couldna  preach  for  thinkin'  o't." 

The  ribald  chorus  echoed  from  the  close  mouth. 

Then  I  saw  that  he  was  followed  by  three  others, 
bent,  slinking  fellows,  who  slipped  across  the  patches 
of  moonlight,  and  eagerly  scanned  the  empty  vennel. 
They  could  not  see  me,  for  I  was  in  shadow,  and  pres- 
ently they  too  entered  the  close. 

The  thing  looked  ugly,  and,  while  I  had  no  love 
for  the  red-haired  man,  I  did  not  wish  to  see  murder 
or  robbery  committed  and  stand  idly  by.  The  match 
of  the  afternoon  had  given  me  a  fine  notion  of  my 
prowess,  though,  had  I  reflected,  my  pistol  was  in  its 
case  at  home,  and  I  had  no  weapon  but  a  hazel  staff. 
Happily  in  youth  the  blood  is  quicker  than  the  brain, 
and  without  a  thought  I  ran  into  the  close  and  up  the 
long  stairway. 

The  chorus  was  still  being  sung  ahead  of  me,  and 
then  it  suddenly  ceased.  In  dead  silence  and  in  pitchy 
darkness  I  struggled  up  the  stone  steps,  wondering 
what  I  should  find  at  the  next  turning.    The  place  was 

59 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

black  as  night,  the  steps  were  uneven,  and  the  stairs 
corkscrewed  most  wonderfully.  I  wished  with  all  my 
heart  that  I  had  not  come,  as  I  groped  upwards  hug- 
ging the  wall. 

Then  a  cry  came  and  a  noise  of  hard  breathing. 
At  the  same  moment  a  door  opened  somewhere  above 
my  head,  and  a  faint  glow  came  down  the  stairs.  Pres- 
ently with  a  great  rumble  a  heavy  man  came  rolling 
past  me,  butting  with  his  head  at  the  stair-side.  He 
came  to  anchor  on  a  landing  below  me,  and  finding  his 
feet  plunged  downwards  as  if  the  devil  were  at  his 
heels.  He  left  behind  him  a  short  Highland  knife, 
which  I  picked  up  and  put  in  my  pocket. 

On  his  heels  came  another  with  his  hand  clapped  to 
his  side,  and  he  moaned  as  he  slithered  past  me.  Some- 
thing dripped  from  him  on  the  stone  steps. 

The  light  grew  stronger,  and  as  I  rounded  the  last 
turning  a  third  came  bounding  down,  stumbling  from 
wall  to  wall  like  a  drunk  man.  I  saw  his  face  clearly, 
and  if  ever  mortal  eyes  held  baffled  murder  it  was  that 
fellow's.    There  was  a  dark  mark  on  his  shoulder. 

Above  me  as  I  blinked  stood  my  red-haired  friend 
on  the  top  landing.  He  had  his  sword  drawn,  and  was 
whistling  softly  through  his  teeth,  while  on  the  right 
hand  was  an  open  door  and  an  old  man  holding  a  lamp. 

"Ho!"  he  cried.  "Here  comes  a  fourth.  God's 
help,  it's  my  friend  the  marksman!" 

I  did  not  like  that  naked  bit  of  steel,  but  there  was 
nothing  for  it  but  to  see  the  thing  through.  When  he 
saw  that  I  was  unarmed  he  returned  his  weapon  to  its 
sheath,  and  smiled  broadly  down  on  me. 

60 


OF  A  STAIRHEAD  AND  A  SEA-CAPTAIN 

"What  brings  my  proud  gentleman  up  these  long 
stairs?"  he  asked. 

"I  saw  you  enter  the  close  and  three  men  following 
you.    It  looked  bad,  so  I  came  up  to  see  fair  play." 

"Did  ye  so?  And  a  very  pretty  Intention,  Mr. 
What's-your-name.  But  ye  needna  have  fashed  your- 
self.   Did  ye  see  any  of  our  friends  on  the  stairs?" 

"I  met  a  big  man  rolling  down  like  a  football,"  I 
said. 

"Ay,  that  would  be  Angus.  He's  a  clumsy  stot,  and 
never  had  much  sense." 

"And  I  met  another  with  his  hand  on  his  side,"  I 
said. 

"That  would  be  little  James.  He's  a  fine  lad  with 
a  skean-dhu  on  a  dark  night,  but  there  was  maybe  too 
much  light  here  for  his  trade." 

"And  I  met  a  third  who  reeled  like  a  drunk  man,"  I 
said. 

"Ay,"  said  he  meditatively,  "that  was  Long  Colin. 
He's  the  flower  o'  the  flock,  and  I  had  to  pink  him. 
At  another  time  and  in  a  better  place  I  would  have 
liked  a  bout  with  him,  for  he  has  some  notion  of  sword- 
play." 

"Who  were  the  men?"  I  asked,  in  much  confusion, 
for  this  laughing  warrior  perplexed  me. 

"Who  but  just  my  cousins  from  Glengyle.  There  has 
long  been  a  sort  of  bicker  between  us,  and  they  thought 
they  had  got  a  fine  chance  of  ending  it." 

"And  who,  in  Heaven's  name,  are  you,"  I  said, 
"that  treats  murder  so  lightly?" 

"Me?"  he  repeated.     "Well,  I  might  give  ye  the 

6i 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

answer  you  gave  me  this  very  day  when  I  speired  the 
same  question.  But  I  am  frank  by  nature,  and  I  see 
you  wish  me  well.  Come  in  bye,  and  we'll  discuss  the 
matter." 

He  led  me  into  a  room  where  a  cheerful  fire 
crackled,  and  got  out  from  a  press  a  bottle  and  glasses. 
He  produced  tobacco  from  a  brass  box  and  filled  a 
long  pipe. 

"Now,"  said  he,  "we'll  understand  each  other  bet- 
ter. Ye  see  before  you  a  poor  gentleman  of  fortune, 
whom  poverty  and  a  roving  spirit  have  driven  to 
outland  bits  o'  the  earth  to  ply  his  lawful  trade  of 
sea-captain.  They  call  me  by  diliferent  names.  I  have 
passed  for  a  Dutch  skipper,  and  a  Maryland  planter, 
and  a  French  trader,  and,  in  spite  of  my  colour,  I  have 
been  a  Spanish  don  In  the  Main,  At  Tortuga  you  will 
hear  one  name,  and  another  at  Port  o'  Spain,  and  a 
third  at  Cartagena.  But,  seeing  we  are  in  the  city  o' 
Glasgow  in  the  kindly  kingdom  o'  Scotland,  I'll  be 
honest  with  you.  My  father  called  me  Ninian  Camp- 
bell, and  there's  no  better  blood  in  Breadalbane." 

What  could  I  do  after  that  but  make  him  a  present 
of  the  trivial  facts  about  myself  and  my  doings?  There 
was  a  look  of  friendly  humour  about  this  dare-devil 
which  captured  my  fancy.  I  saw  in  him  the  stuff  of 
which  adventurers  are  made,  and  though  I  was  a  sober 
merchant,  I  was  also  young.  For  days  I  had  been 
dreaming  of  foreign  parts  and  an  Odyssey  of  strange 
fortunes,  and  here  on  a  Glasgow  stairhead  I  had  found 
Ulysses  himself. 

"Is  it  not  the  pity,"  he  cried,  "that  such  talents  as 

62 


OF  A  STAIRHEAD  AND  A  SEA-CAPTAIN 

yours  should  rust  in  a  dark  room  in  the  Candleriggs? 
Believe  me,  Mr.  Garvald,  I  have  seen  some  pretty 
shots,  but  I  have  never  seen  your  better." 

Then  I  told  him  that  I  was  sailing  within  a  month 
for  Virginia,  and  he  suddenly  grew  solemn. 

"It  looks  like  Providence,"  he  said,  "that  we  two 
should  come  together.  I,  too,  will  soon  be  back  in 
the  Western  Seas,  and  belike  we'll  meet.  I'm  some- 
thing of  a  rover,  and  I  never  bide  long  in  the  same 
place,  but  I  whiles  pay  a  visit  to  James  Town,  and 
they  ken  me  well  on  the  Eastern  Shore  and  the  Ac- 
comac  beaches." 

He  fell  to  giving  me  such  advice  as  a  traveller  gives 
to  a  novice.  It  was  strange  hearing  for  an  honest 
merchant,  for  much  of  it  was  concerned  with  divers 
ways  of  outwitting  the  law.  By  and  by  he  was  de- 
termined to  convoy  me  to  my  lodgings,  for  he  pointed 
out  that  I  was  unarmed;  and  I  think,  too,  he  had  still 
hopes  of  another  meeting  with  Long  Colin,  his  cousin. 

"I  leave  Glasgow  the  morrow's  morn,"  he  said,  "and 
it's  no  likely  we'll  meet  again  in  Scotland.  Out  in 
Virginia,  no  doubt,  you'll  soon  be  a  great  man,  and 
sit  in  Council,  and  hob-nob  with  the  Governor.  But 
a  midge  can  help  an  elephant,  and  I  would  gladly  help 
you,  for  you  had  the  goodwill  to  help  me.  If  ye  need 
aid  you  will  go  to  Mercer's  Tavern  at  James  Town 
down  on  the  water  front,  and  you  will  ask  news  of 
Ninian  Campbell.  The  man  will  say  that  he  never 
heard  tell  of  the  name,  and  then  you  will  speak  these 
words  to  him.  You  will  say  'The  lymphads  are  on 
the  loch,  and  the  horn  of  Diarmaid  has  sounded.'   Keep 

63 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

them  well  in  mind,  for  some  way  or  other  they  will 
bring  you  and  me  together." 

Without  another  word  he  was  off,  and  as  I  com- 
mitted the  gibberish  to  memory  I  could  hear  his  song 
going  up  the  Saltmarket: 

"The  minister  kissed  the  fiddler's  wife. 
And  he  couldna  preach  for  thinkin'  o't." 


CHAPTER  V 

MY   FIRST   COMING  TO   VIRGINIA 


THERE  are  few  moments  in  life  to  compare  with 
a  traveller's  first  sight  of  a  new  land  which  is 
destined  to  be  for  short  or  long  his  home.  When, 
after  a  fair  and  speedy  voyage,  we  passed  Point  Com- 
fort, and  had  rid  ourselves  of  the  revenue  men,  and 
the  tides  bore  us  up  the  estuary  of  a  noble  river,  I 
stood  on  deck  and  drank  in  the  heady  foreign  scents 
with  a  boyish  ecstasy.  Presently  we  had  opened  the 
capital  city,  which  seemed  to  me  no  more  than  a  village 
set  amid  gardens,  and  Mr.  Lambie  had  come  aboard 
and  greeted  me.  He  conveyed  me  to  the  best  ordinary 
In  the  town,  which  stood  over  against  the  Court-house. 
Late  in  the  afternoon,  just  before  the  dark  fell,  I 
walked  out  to  drink  my  fill  of  the  place. 

You  are  to  remember  that  I  was  a  country  lad  who 
had  never  set  foot  forth  of  Scotland.  I  was  very 
young,  and  hot  on  the  quest  of  new  sights  and  doings. 
As  I  walked  down  the  unpaven  street  and  through  the 
narrow  tobacco-grown  lanes,  the  strange  smell  of  it  all 
intoxicated  me  like  wine.    There  was  a  great  red  sun- 

6S 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

set  burning  over  the  blue  river  and  kindling  the  far 
forests  till  they  glowed  like  jewels.  The  frogs  were 
croaking  among  the  reeds,  and  the  wild  duck  squat- 
tered  in  the  dusk.  I  passed  an  Indian,  the  first  I  had 
seen,  with  cock's  feathers  on  his  head,  and  a  curiously 
tattooed  chest,  moving  as  light  as  a  sleep-walker.  One 
or  two  townsfolk  took  the  air,  smoking  their  long  pipes, 
and  down  by  the  water  a  negro  girl  was  singing  a  wild 
melody.  The  whole  place  was  like  a  mad,  sweet- 
scented  dream  to  one  just  come  from  the  unfeatured 
ocean,  and  with  a  memory  only  of  grim  Scots  cities 
and  dour  Scots  hills.  I  felt  as  If  I  had  come  into  a 
large  and  generous  land,  and  I  thanked  God  that  I  was 
but  twenty-three. 

But  as  I  was  mooning  along  there  came  a  sudden  In- 
terruption on  my  dreams.  I  was  beyond  the  houses, 
in  a  path  which  ran  among  tobacco-sheds  and  little  gar- 
dens, with  the  river  lapping  a  stone's-throw  off.  Down 
a  side  alley  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  figure  that  seemed 
familiar. 

'Twas  that  of  a  tall,  hulking  man,  moving  quickly 
among  the  tobacco  plants,  with  something  stealthy  in 
his  air.  The  broad,  bowed  shoulders  and  the  lean 
head  brought  back  to  me  the  rainy  moorlands  about  the 
Cauldstaneslap  and  the  mad  fellow  whose  prison  I  had 
shared.  Muckle  John  had  gone  to  the  Plantations, 
and  'twas  Muckle  John  or  the  devil  that  was  moving 
there  In  the  half  light. 

I  cried  on  him,  and  ran  down  the  side  alley.  But  it 
seemed  that  he  did  not  want  company,  for  he  broke 
into  a  run. 

66 


MY  FIRST  COMING  TO  VIRGINIA 

Now  in  those  days  I  rejoiced  in  the  strength  of  my 
legs,  and  I  was  determined  not  to  be  thus  balked.  So 
I  doubled  after  him  into  a  maze  of  tobacco  and  melon 
beds. 

But  It  seemed  he  knew  how  to  run.  I  caught  a 
glimpse  of  his  hairy  legs  round  the  corner  of  a  shed, 
and  then  lost  him  in  a  patch  of  cane.  Then  I  came  out 
on  a  sort  of  causeway  floored  with  boards  which  cov- 
ered a  marshy  sluice,  and  there  I  made  great  strides 
on  him.  He  was  clear  against  the  sky  now,  and  I  could 
see  that  he  was  clad  only  in  shirt  and  cotton  breeches, 
whilst  at  his  waist  flapped  an  ugly  sheath-knife. 

Rounding  the  hut  corner  I  ran  full  into  a  man. 

"Hold  you,"  cried  the  stranger,  and  laid  hands  on 
my  arm;  but  I  shook  him  off  violently,  and  continued 
the  race.  The  collision  had  cracked  my  temper,  and 
I  had  a  mind  to  give  Muckle  John  a  lesson  in  civility. 
For  Muckle  John  it  was  beyond  doubt ;  not  two  men  in 
the  broad  earth  had  that  ungainly  bend  of  neck. 

The  next  I  knew  we  were  out  on  the  river  bank  on 
a  shore  of  hard  clay  which  the  tides  had  created.  Here 
I  saw  him  more  clearly,  and  I  began  to  doubt.  I  might 
be  chasing  some  river-side  ruffian,  who  would  give  me 
a  knife  in  my  belly  for  my  pains. 

The  doubt  slackened  my  pace,  and  he  gained  on  me. 
Then  I  saw  his  intention.  There  was  a  flat-bottomed 
wherry  tied  up  by  the  bank,  and  for  this  he  made.  He 
flung  off  the  rope,  seized  a  long  pole,  and  began  to 
push  away. 

The  last  rays  of  the  westering  sun  fell  on  his  face, 
and  my   hesitation  vanished.     For   those   pent-house 

67 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

brows  and  deep-set,  wild-cat  eyes  were  fixed  for  ever 
in  my  memory. 

I  cried  to  him  as  I  ran,  but  he  never  looked  my  road. 
Somehow  it  was  borne  in  on  me  that  at  all  costs  I  must 
have  speech  with  him.  The  wherry  was  a  yard  or  two 
from  the  shore  when  I  jumped  for  its  stern. 

I  lighted  firm  on  the  wood,  and  for  a  moment  looked 
Muckle  John  in  the  face.  I  saw  a  countenance  lean 
like  a  starved  wolf,  with  great  weals  as  of  old  wounds 
on  cheek  and  brow.  But  only  for  a  second,  for  as  I 
balanced  myself  to  step  forward  he  rammed  the  butt 
of  the  pole  in  my  chest,  so  that  I  staggered  and  fell 
plump  in  the  river. 

The  water  was  only  up  to  my  middle,  but  before  I 
could  clamber  back  he  had  shipped  his  oars,  and  was 
well  into  the  centre  of  the  stream. 

I  stood  staring  like  a  zany,  while  black  anger  filled 
my  heart.  I  plucked  my  pistol  forth,  and  for  a  second 
was  on  the  verge  of  murder,  for  I  could  have  shot  him 
like  a  rabbit.  But  God  mercifully  restrained  my  fool- 
ish passion,  and  presently  the  boat  and  the  rower  van- 
ished in  the  evening  haze. 

"This  is  a  bonny  beginning!"  thought  I,  as  I  waded 
through  the  mud  to  the  shore.  I  was  wearing  my  best 
clothes  in  honour  of  my  arrival,  and  they  were  all 
fouled  and  plashing. 

Then  on  the  bank  above  me  I  saw  the  fellow  who 
had  run  Into  me  and  hindered  my  catching  Muckle 
John  on  dry  land.     He  was  shaking  with  laughter. 

I  was  silly  and  hot-headed  in  those  days,  and  my 
wetting  had  not  disposed  me  to  be  laughed  at.    In  this 

68 


MY  FIRST  COMING  TO  VIRGINIA 

fellow  I  saw  a  confederate  of  Gib's,  and  if  I  had  lost 
one  I  had  the  other.  So  I  marched  up  to  him  and 
very  roundly  damned  his  insolence. 

He  was  a  stern,  lantern-jawed  man  of  forty  or  so, 
dressed  very  roughly  in  leather  breeches  and  a  frieze 
coat.  Long  grey  woollen  stockings  were  rolled  above 
his  knees,  and  slung  on  his  back  was  an  ancient  musket. 

"Easy,  my  lad,"  he  said.  "It's  a  free  country,  and 
there's  no  statute  against  mirth." 

"I'll  have  you  before  the  sheriff,"  I  cried.  "You 
tripped  me  up  when  I  was  on  the  track  of  the  biggest 
rogue  in  America." 

"So!"  said  he,  mocking  me.  "You'll  be  a  good 
judge  of  rogues.  Was  it  a  runaway  redemptioner, 
maybe?  You'd  be  looking  for  the  twenty  hogsheads 
reward." 

This  was  more  than  I  could  stand.  I  was  carrying 
a  pistol  in  my  hand,  and  I  stuck  it  to  his  ear.  "March, 
my  friend,"  I  said.  "You'll  walk  before  me  to  a  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace,  and  explain  your  doings  this  night." 

I  had  never  threatened  a  man  with  a  deadly  weapon 
before,  and  I  was  to  learn  a  most  unforgettable  lesson. 
A  hand  shot  out,  caught  my  wrist,  and  forced  it  up- 
wards in  a  grip  of  steel.  And  when  I  would  have  used 
my  right  fist  in  his  face  another  hand  seized  that,  and 
my  arms  were  padlocked. 

Cool,  ironical  eyes  looked  into  mine. 

"You're  very  free  with  your  little  gun,  my  lad.  Let 
me  give  you  a  word  in  season.  Never  hold  a  pistol  to 
a  man  unless  you  mean  to  shoot.  If  your  eyes  waver 
you  had  better  had  a  porridge  stick." 

69 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

He  pressed  my  wrist  back  till  my  fingers  relaxed, 
and  he  caught  my  pistol  in  his  teeth.  With  a  quick 
movement  of  the  head  he  dropped  it  inside  his  shirt. 

"There's  some  would  have  killed  you  for  that  trick, 
young  sir,"  he  said.  "It's  trying  to  the  temper  to  have 
gunpowder  so  near  a  man's  brain.  But  you're  young, 
and,  by  your  speech,  a  new-comer.  So  instead  I'll 
offer  you  a  drink." 

He  dropped  my  wrists,  and  motioned  me  to  follow 
him.  Very  crestfallen  and  ashamed,  I  walked  in  his 
wake  to  a  little  shanty  almost  on  the  water-edge.  The 
place  was  some  kind  of  inn,  for  a  negro  brought  us  two 
tankards  of  apple-jack,  and  tobacco  pipes,  and  lit  a 
foul-smelling  lantern,  which  he  set  between  us. 

"First,"  says  the  man,  "let  me  tell  you  that  I  never 
before  clapped  eyes  on  the  long  piece  of  rascality  you 
were  seeking.  He  looked  like  one  that  had  cheated  the 
gallows." 

"He  was  a  man  I  knew  in  Scotland,"  I  said  grumpily. 

"Likely  enough.  There's  a  heap  of  Scots  redemp- 
tloners  hereaways.  I'm  out  of  Scotland  myself,  or  my 
forbears  were,  but  my  father  was  settled  in  the  Antrim 
Glens.  There's  wild  devils  among  them,  and  your 
friend  looked  as  if  he  had  given  the  slip  to  the  hounds 
in  the  marshes.  There  was  little  left  of  his  breeches. 
.  .  .  Drink,  man,  or  you'll  get  fever  from  your  wet 
duds." 

I  drank,  and  the  strong  stuff  mounted  to  my  unaccus- 
tomed brain;  my  tongue  was  loosened,  my  ill-temper 
mellowed,  and  I  found  myself  telling  this  grim  fellow 
much  that  was  in  my  heart. 

70 


MY  FIRST  COMING  TO  VIRGINIA 


((( 


'So  you're  a  merchant,"  he  said.  "It's  not  for  me 
to  call  down  an  honest  trade,  but  we  could  be  doing 
with  fewer  merchants  in  these  parts.  They're  so  many 
leeches  that  suck  our  blood.  Are  you  here  to  make 
siller?" 

I  said  I  was,  and  he  laughed.  "I  never  heard  of 
your  uncle's  business,  Mr.  Garvald,  but  you'll  find  it  a 
stiff  task  to  compete  with  the  lads  from  Bristol  and 
London.  They've  got  the  whole  dominion  by  the  scruff 
of  the  neck." 

I  replied  that  I  was  not  in  awe  of  them,  and  that  I 
could  hold  my  own  with  anybody  in  a  fair  trade. 

"Fair  trade!"  he  cried  scornfully.  "That's  just 
what  you  won't  get.  That's  a  thing  unkenned  in  Vir- 
ginia. Look  you  here,  my  lad.  The  Parliament  In 
London  treats  us  Virginians  like  so  many  puling  bairns. 
We  cannot  sell  our  tobacco  except  to  Englsh  merchants, 
and  we  cannot  buy  a  horn  spoon  except  it  comes  in  an 
English  ship.  What's  the  result  of  that?  You,  as  a 
merchant,  call  tell  me  fine.  The  English  fix  what  price 
they  like  for  our  goods,  and  it's  the  lowest  conceivable, 
and  they  make  their  own  price  for  what  they  sell  us, 
and  that's  as  high  as  a  Jew's.  There's  a  fine  profit 
there  for  the  gentlemen-venturers  of  Bristol,  but  it's 
starvation  and  damnation  for  us  poor  Virginians." 

"What's  the  result?"  he  cried  again.  "Why,  that 
there's  nothing  to  be  had  in  the  land  except  what  the 
merchants  bring.  There's  scarcely  a  smith  or  a  wright 
or  a  cobbler  between  the  James  and  the  Potomac.  If 
1  want  a  bed  to  lie  in,  I  have  to  wait  till  the  coming 
of  the  tobacco  convoy,  and  go  down  to  the  wharves  and 

71 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

pay  a  hundred  pounds  of  sweet-scented  for  a  thing  you 
would  buy  in  the  Candleriggs  for  twenty  shillings. 
How,  in  God's  name,  is  a  farmer  to  live  if  he 
has  to  pay  usury  for  every  plough  and  spade  and  yard 
of  dimity!" 

"Remember  you're  speaking  to  a  merchant,"  I  said. 
"You've  told  me  the  very  thing  to  encourage  me.  If 
prices  are  high,  it's  all  the  better  for  me." 

"It  would  be,"  he  said  grimly,  "if  your  name  werena 
what  it  is,  and  you  came  from  elsewhere  than  the  Clyde. 
D'you  think  the  proud  English  corporations  are  going 
to  let  you  inside?  Not  them.  The  most  you'll  get 
will  be  the  scraps  that  fall  from  their  table,  my  poor 
Lazarus,  and  for  these  you'll  have  to  go  hat  in  hand  to 
Dives." 

His  face  grew  suddenly  earnest,  and  he  leaned  on 
the  table  and  looked  me  straight  in  the  eyes. 

"You're  a  young  lad  and  a  new-comer,  and  the  ac- 
cursed scales  of  Virginia  are  not  yet  on  your  eyes. 
Forbye,  I  think  you've  spirit,  though  it's  maybe  mixed 
with  a  deal  of  folly.  You've  your  choice  before  you, 
Mr.  Garvald.  You  can  become  a  lickspittle  like  the 
rest  of  them,  and  no  doubt  you'll  gather  a  wheen  baw- 
bees, but  it  will  be  a  poor  shivering  soul  will  meet  its 
Maker  in  the  hinder  end.  Or  you  can  play  the  man 
and  be  a  good  Vrginian.  I'll  not  say  it's  an  easy  part. 
You'll  find  plenty  to  cry  you  down,  and  there  will  be 
hard  knocks  going;  but  by  your  face  I  judge  you're  not 
afraid  of  that.  Let  me  tell  you  this  land  is  on  the  edge 
of  hell,  and  there's  sore  need  for  stout  men.  They'll 
declare  in  this  town  that  there's  no  Indians  on  this  side 

72 


MY  FIRST  COMING  TO  VIRGINIA 

the  mountains  that  would  dare  to  lift  a  tomahawk. 
Little  they  ken!" 

In  his  eagerness  he  had  gripped  my  arm,  and  his 
dark,  lean  face  was  thrust  close  to  mine. 

"I  was  with  Bacon  in  '76,  in  the  fray  with  the  Sus- 
quehannocks.  I  speak  the  Indian  tongues,  and  there's 
few  alive  that  ken  the  tribes  like  me.  The  folk  here 
live  snug  in  the  Tidewater,  which  is  maybe  a  hundred 
miles  wide  from  the  sea,  but  of  the  West  they  ken 
nothing.  There  might  be  an  army  thousands  strong 
concealed  a  day's  journey  from  the  manors,  and  never 
a  word  would  be  heard  of  it." 

"But  they  tell  me  the  Indians  are  changed  nowa- 
days," I  put  in.  "They  say  they've  settled  down  to 
peaceful  ways  like  any  Christian." 

"Put  your  head  into  a  catamount's  mouth,  if  you 
please,"  he  said  grimly.,  "but  never  trust  an  Indian. 
The  only  good  kind  is  the  dead  kind.  I  tell  you  we're 
living  on  the  edge  of  hell.  It  may  come  this  year  or 
next  year  or  five  years  hence,  but  come  it  will.  I  hear 
we  are  fighting  the  French,  and  that  means  that  the 
tribes  of  the  Canadas  will  be  on  the  move.  Little  you 
know  the  speed  of  a  war-party.  They  would  cut  my 
throat  one  morning,  and  be  hammering  at  the  doors 
of  James  Town  before  sundown.  There  should  be  a 
line  of  forts  in  the  West  from  the  Roanoke  to  the  Poto- 
mac, and  every  man  within  fifty  miles  should  keep  a  gurl 
loaded  and  a  horse  saddled.  But,  think  you  the  Coun- 
cil will  move?  It  costs  money,  say  the  wiseacres,  as  if 
money  were  not  cheaper  than  a  slit  wizzand!" 

I   was  deeply  solemnized,   though   I   scarce   under- 

73 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

stood  the  full  drift  of  his  words,  and  the  queer  thing 
was  that  I  was  not  ill-pleased.  I  had  come  out  to  seek 
for  trade,  and  it  looked  as  if  I  were  to  find  war.  And 
all  this  when  I  was  not  four  hours  landed. 

"What  think  you  of  that?"  he  asked,  as  I  kept 
silent.  "I've  been  warned.  A  man  I  know  on  the  Rap- 
pahannock passed  the  word  that  the  Long  House  was 
stirring.  Tell  that  to  the  gentry  in  James  Town.  What 
side  are  you  going  for,  young  sir?" 

"I'll  take  my  time,"  I  said,  "and  see  for  myself. 
Ask  me  again  this  day  six  months." 

He  laughed  loud.  "A  very  proper  answer  for  a 
Scot,"  he  cried.  "See  for  yourself  travel  the  country, 
and  use  the  wits  God  gave  you  to  form  your  judg- 
ment." 

He  paid  the  lawing,  and  said  he  would  put  me  on  the 
road  back.  "These  alleys  are  not  very  healthy  at  this 
hour  for  a  young  gentleman  in  braw  clothes." 

Once  outside  the  tavern  he  led  me  by  many  curious 
by-paths  till  I  found  myself  on  the  river-side  just  below 
the  Court-house.  It  struck  me  that  my  new  friend  was 
not  a  popular  personage  in  the  town,  for  he  would 
stop  and  reconnoitre  at  every  turning,  and  he  chose  the 
darkest  side  of  the  road. 

"Good-night  to  you,"  he  said  at  length.  "And  when 
you  have  finished  your  travels  come  west  to  the  South 
Fork  River  and  ask  for  Simon  Frew,  and  I'll  complete 
your  education." 

I  went  to  bed  in  a  glow  of  excitement.  On  the  mor- 
row I  should  begin  a  new  life  in  a  world  of  wonders, 
and  I  rejoiced  to  think  that  there  was  more  than  mer- 
chandise in  the  prospect. 

74 


CHAPTER  VI 

TELLS  OF  MY  EDUCATION 

I  HAD  not  been  a  week  In  the  place  before  I  saw 
one  thing  very  clear — that  I  should  never  get  on 
with  Mr.  Lambie.  His  notion  of  business  was  to  walk 
down  the  street  in  a  fine  coat,  and  to  sleep  with  a  ker- 
chief over  his  face  in  some  shady  veranda.  There  was 
no  vice  in  the  creature,  but  there  was  mighty  little  sense. 
He  lived  in  awe  of  the  great  and  rich,  and  a  nod  from 
a  big  planter  would  make  him  happy  for  a  week.  He 
used  to  deafen  me  with  tales  of  Colonel  Randolph, 
and  worshipful  Mr.  Carew,  and  Colonel  Byrd's  new 
house  at  Westover,  and  the  rare  fashion  in  cravats  that 
young  Mr.  Mason  showed  at  the  last  Surrey  horse- 
racing.  Now  when  a  Scot  chooses  to  be  a  sycophant, 
he  is  more  whole-hearted  in  the  job  than  any  one  else 
on  the  globe,  and  I  grew  very  weary  of  Mr.  Lambie. 
He  was  no  better  than  an  old  wife,  and  as  timid  as  a 
hare  forbye.  When  I  spoke  of  fighting  the  English 
merchants,  he  held  up  his  hands  as  if  I  had  uttered 
blasphemy.  So,  being  determined  to  find  out  for  my- 
self the  truth  about  this  wonderful  new  land,  I  left  him 
the  business  in  the  town,  bought  two  good  horses,  hired 

75 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

a  servant,  by  name  John  Faulkner,  who  had  worked 
out  his  time  as  a  redemptioner,  and  set  out  on  my 
travels. 

This  is  a  history  of  doings,  not  of  thoughts,  or  I 
would  have  much  to  tell  of  what  I  saw  during  those 
months,  when,  lean  as  a  bone,  and  brown  as  a  hazel- 
nut, I  tracked  the  course  of  the  great  rivers.  The 
roads  were  rough,  where  roads  there  were,  but  the 
land  smiled  under  the  sun,  and  the  Virginians,  high 
and  low,  kept  open  house  for  the  chance  traveller. 
One  night  I  would  eat  pork  and  hominy  with  a  rough 
fellow  who  was  carving  a  farm  out  of  the  forest;  and 
the  next  I  would  sit  in  a  fine  panelled  hall  and  listen 
to  gentlefolks'  speech,  and  dine  off  damask  and  silver. 
I  could  not  tire  of  the  green  forests,  or  the  marshes 
alive  with  wild  fowl,  or  the  noble  orchards  and  gar- 
dens, or  even  the  salty  dunes  of  the  Chesapeake  shore. 
My  one  complaint  was  that  the  land  was  desperate  flat 
to  a  hill-bred  soul  like  mine.  But  one  evening,  away 
north  in  Stafford  county,  I  cast  my  eyes  to  the  west  and 
saw,  blue  and  sharp  against  the  sunset,  a  great  line  of 
mountains.  It  was  all  I  sought.  Somewhere  in  the 
west  Virginia  had  her  high  lands,  and  one  day,  I  prom- 
ised myself,  I  would  ride  the  road  of  the  sun  and  find 
their  secret. 

In  these  months  my  thoughts  were  chiefly  of  trade, 
and  I  saw  enough  to  prove  the  truth  of  what  the  mart 
Frew  had  told  me.  This  richest  land  on  earth  was  held 
prisoner  in  the  bonds  of  a  foolish  tyranny.  The  rich 
were  less  rich  than  their  estates  warranted,  and  the 
poor  were  ground  down  by  bitter  poverty.    There  was 

76 


TELLS  OF  MY  EDUCATION 

little  corn  in  the  land,  tobacco  being  the  sole  means  of 
payment,  and  this  meant  no  trade  in  the  common  mean- 
ing of  the  word.  The  place  was  slowly  bleeding  to 
death,  and  I  had  a  mind  to  try  and  stanch  its  wounds. 
The  firm  of  Andrew  Sempill  was  looked  on  jealously, 
in  spite  of  all  the  bowings  and  protestatoins  of  Mr. 
Lambie,  If  we  were  to  increase  our  trade,  it  must  be 
at  the  Englishman's  expense,  and  that  could  only  be 
done  by  offering  the  people  a  better  way  of  business. 

When  the  harvest  came  and  the  tobacco  fleet  arrived, 
I  could  see  how  the  thing  worked  out.  Our  two  ships, 
the  Blackcock  of  Ayr  and  the  Duncan  Davidson  of 
Glasgow,  had  some  trouble  getting  their  cargoes.  We 
could  only  deal  with  the  smaller  planters,  who  were  not 
thirled  to  the  big  merchants,  and  it  took  us  three  weary 
weeks  up  and  down  the  river-side  wharves  to  get  our 
holds  filled.  There  was  a  madness  in  the  place  for 
things  from  England,  and  unless  a  man  could  label  his 
wares  "London-made,"  he  could  not  hope  to  catch  a 
buyer's  fancy.  Why,  I  have  seen  a  fellow  at  a  fair 
at  Henricus  selling  common  Virginian  mocking-birds 
as  the  "best  Englsh  mocking-birds" !  My  uncle  had 
sent  out  a  quantity  of  Ayrshire  cheeses,  mutton  hams, 
pickled  salmon,  Dunfermline  linens.  Paisley  dimity, 
Alloa  worsted,  sweet  ale  from  Tranent,  Kilmarnock 
cowls,  and  a  lot  of  fine  feather-beds  from  the  Clyde- 
side.  There  was  nothing  common  or  trashy  in  the 
whole  consignment;  but  the  planters  preferred  some 
gewgaws  from  Cheapside  or  some  worthless  London 
furs  which  they  could  have  bettered  any  day  by  taking 
a  gun  and  hunting  their  own  woods.     When  my  own 

77 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

business  was  over,  I  would  look  on  at  some  of  the  other 
ladings.  There  on  the  wharf  would  be  the  planter 
with  his  wife  and  family,  and  every  servant  about  the 
place.  And  there  was  the  merchant  skipper,  showing 
off  his  goods,  and  quoting  for  each  a  weight  of  to- 
bacco. The  planter  wanted  to  get  rid  of  his  crop,  and 
knew  that  this  was  his  only  chance,  while  the  mer- 
chant could  very  well  sell  his  leavings  elsewhere.  So 
the  dice  were  cogged  from  the  start,  and  I  have  seen 
a  plain  kitchen  chair  sold  for  fifty  pounds  of  sweet- 
scented,  or  something  like  the  price  at  which  a  joiner 
in  Glasgow  would  make  a  score  and  leave  himself  a 
handsome  profit. 

The  upshot  was  that  I  paid  a  visit  to  the  Governor, 
Mr.  Francis  Nicholson,  whom  my  lord  Howard  had 
left  as  his  deputy.  Governor  Nicholson  had  come  from 
New  York  not  many  months  before  with  a  great 
repute  for  ill-temper  and  harsh  dealing;  but  I  liked 
the  look  of  his  hard-set  face  and  soldierly-bearing, 
and  I  never  mind  choler  in  a  man  if  he  have  also  hon- 
esty and  good  sense.  So  I  waited  upon  him  at  his  house 
close  by  Middle  Plantation,  on  the  road  between  James 
Town  and  York  River. 

I  had  a  very  dusty  reception.  His  Excellency  sat  in 
his  long  parlour  among  a  mass  of  books  and  papers 
and  saddle-bags,  and  glared  at  me  from  beneath  lower- 
ing brows.  The  man  was  sore  harassed  by  the  King's 
Government  on  one  side  and  the  Virginian  Council  on 
the  other,  and  he  treated  every  stranger  as  a  foe. 

"What  do  you  seek  from  me?"  he  shouted.     "If  it 

78 


TELLS  OF  MY  EDUCATION 

is  some  merchants'  squabble,  you  can  save  your  breath, 
for  I  am  sick  of  the  Shylocks." 

I  said,  very  politely,  that  I  was  a  stranger  not  half 
a  year  arrived  in  the  country,  but  that  I  had  been  using 
my  eyes,  and  wished  to  submit  my  views  to  his  con- 
sideration. 

"Go  to  the  Council,"  he  rasped;  "go  to  that  silken 
fool.  His  Majesty's  Attorney.  My  politics  are  not 
those  of  the  leather-jaws  that  prate  in  this  land." 

"That  is  why  I  came  to  you,"  I  said. 

Then  without  more  ado  I  gave  him  my  notions  on 
the  defence  of  the  colony,  for  from  what  I  had  learned 
I  judged  that  would  interest  him  most.  He  heard  me 
with  unexpected  patience. 

"Well,  now,  supposing  you  are  right?  I  don't  deny 
It.  Virginia  is  a  treasure-house  with  two  of  the  sides 
open  to  wind  and  weather.  I  told  the  Council  that, 
and  they  would  not  believe  me.  Here  are  we  at  war 
with  France,  and  Frontenac  is  hammering  at  the  gates 
of  New  York.  If  that  falls,  it  will  soon  be  the  turn  of 
Maryland  and  next  of  Virginia.  England's  posses- 
sions in  the  West  are  indivisible,  and  what  threatens 
one  endangers  all.  But  think  you  our  Virginians  can 
see  it?  When  I  presented  my  scheme  for  setting  forts 
along  the  northern  line,  I  could  not  screw  a  guinea  out 
of  the  miscreants.  The  colony  was  poor,  they  cried, 
and  could  not  afford  it,  and  then  the  worshipful  coun- 
cillors rode  home  to  swill  Madeira  and  loll  on  their 
London  beds.  God's  truth!  were  I  not  a  patriot,  I 
would  welcome  M.  Frontenac  to  teach  them  decency." 

Now  I  did  not  think  much  of  the  French  danger, 

79 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

being  far  more  concerned  with  the  peril  in  the  West; 
but  I  held  my  peace  on  that  subject.  It  was  not  my 
cue  to  cross  his  Excellency  in  his  present  humour. 

"What  makes  the  colony  poor?"  I  asked.  "The 
planters  are  rich  enough,  but  the  richest  man  will  grow 
tired  of  bearing  the  whole  burden  of  the  government. 
I  submit  that  His  Majesty  and  the  English  laws  are 
chiefly  to  blame.  When  the  Hollanders  were  suffered 
to  trade  here,  they  paid  five  shillings  on  every  anker 
of  brandy  they  brought  hither,  and  ten  shillings  on 
every  hogshead  of  tobacco  they  carried  hence.  Now 
every  penny  that  is  raised  must  come  out  of  the  Vir- 
ginians, and  the  Englishmen  who  bleed  the  land  go 
scot-free." 

"That's  true,"  said  he,  "and  it's  a  damned  disgrace. 
But  how  am  I  to  better  it?" 

"Clap  a  tax  on  every  ship  that  passes  Point  Comfort 
outward  bound,"  I  said.  "The  merchants  can  well 
afford  to  pay  it." 

"Listen  to  him!"  he  laughed.  "And  what  kind  of 
answer  would  I  get  from  my  lord  Howard  and  His 
Majesty?  Every  greasy  member  would  be  on  his  feet 
in  Parliament  in  defence  of  what  he  called  English 
rights.  Then  there  would  come  a  dispatch  from  the 
Government  telling  the  poor  Deputy-Governor  of  Vir- 
ginia to  go  to  the  devil !" 

He  looked  at  me  curiously,  screwing  up  his  eyes. 

"By  the  way,  Mr.  Garvald,  what  is  your  trade?" 

"I  am  a  merchant  like  the  others,"  I  said;  "only 
my  ships  run  from  Glasgow  instead  of  Bristol." 

"A  very  pretty  m.erchant,"  he  said  quizzically.     "I 

80 


TELLS  OF  MY  EDUCATION 

have  heard  that  hawks  should  not  pick  out  hawks' 
eyes.    What  do  you  propose  to  gain,  Mr.  Garvald?" 

"Better  business,"  I  said.  "To  be  honest  with  you, 
sir,  I  am  suffering  from  the  close  monopoly  of  the 
Englishman,  and  I  think  the  country  is  suffering  worse. 
I  have  a  notion  that  things  can  be  remedied.  If  you  can- 
not put  on  a  levy,  good  and  well;  that  is  your  business. 
But  I  mean  to  make  an  effort  on  my  own  account." 

Then  I  told  him  something  of  my  scheme,  and  he 
heard  me  out  with  a  puzzled  face. 

"Of  all  the  brazen  Scots "  he  cried. 

"Scot  yourself,"  I  laughed,  for  his  face  and  speech 
betrayed  him. 

"I'll  not  deny  that  there's  glimmerings  of  sense  in 
you,  Mr.  Garvald.  But  how  do  you,  a  lad  with  no 
backing,  propose  to  beat  a  strong  monopoly  buttressed 
by  the  whole  stupidity  and  idleness  of  Virgina?  You'll 
be  stripped  of  your  last  farthing,  and  you'll  be  lucky  if  it 
ends  there.  Don't  think  I'm  against  you.  I'm  with 
you  in  your  principles,  but  the  job  is  too  big  for  you." 

"We  will  see,"  said  I.  "But  I  can  take  it  that, 
provided  I  keep  within  the  law,  His  Majesty's  Gov- 
ernor will  not  stand  in  my  way." 

"I  can  promise  you  that.  I'll  do  more,  for  I'll  drink 
success  to  your  enterprise."  He  filled  me  a  great  silver 
tankard  of  spiced  sack,  and  I  emptied  it  to  the  toast  of 
"Honest  Men." 

All  the  time  at  the  back  of  my  head  were  other 
thoughts  than  merchandise.  The  picture  which  Frew 
had  drawn  of  Virginia  as  a  smiling  garden  on  the  edge 

8i 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

of  a  burning  pit  was  stamped  on  my  memory.  I  had 
seen  on  my  travels  the  Indians  that  dwelled  in  the  Tide- 
water, remnants  of  the  old  great  clans  of  Doeg  and 
Powhatan  and  Pamunkey.  They  were  civil  enough 
fellows,  following  their  own  ways,  and  not  molesting 
their  scanty  white  neighbours,  for  the  country  was  wide 
enough  for  all.  But  so  far  as  I  could  learn,  these  clan- 
lets  of  the  Algonquin  house  were  no  more  comparable 
to  the  fighting  tribes  of  the  West  than  a  Highland 
laddie  in  an  Edinburgh  close  is  to  a  hill  Macdonald 
with  a  claymore.  But  the  common  Virginian  would 
admit  no  peril,  though  now  and  then  some  rough  land- 
ward fellow  would  lay  down  his  spade,  spit  moodily, 
and  tell  me  a  grim  tale.  I  had  ever  the  notion  to 
visit  Frew  and  finish  my  education. 

It  was  not  till  the  tobacco  ships  had  gone  and  the 
autumn  had  grown  late  that  I  got  the  chance.  The 
trees  were  flaming  scarlet  and  saffron  as  I  rode  west 
through  the  forests  to  his  house  on  the  South  Fork 
River.  There,  by  a  wood  fire  in  the  October  dusk,  he 
fed  me  on  wild  turkey  and  barley  bread,  and  listened 
silently  to  my  tale. 

He  said  nothing  when  I  spoke  of  my  schemes  for 
getting  the  better  of  the  Englishman  and  winning  Vir- 
ginia to  my  side.  Profits  interested  him  little,  for  he 
grew  his  patch  of  corn  and  pumpkins,  and  hunted  the 
deer  for  his  own  slender  needs.  Once  he  broke  in 
on  my  rigmarole  with  a  piece  of  news  that  fluttered 
me. 

"You  mind  the  big  man  you  were  chasing  that  night 
you  and  me  first  forgathered?    Well,  I've  seen  him." 

82 


TELLS  OF  MY  EDUCATION 

"Where?"  I  cried,  all  else  forgotten. 

"Here,  in  this  very  place,  six  weeks  syne.  He 
stalked  in  about  ten  o'  the  night,  and  lifted  half  my 
plenishing.  When  I  got  up  in  my  bed  to  face  him 
he  felled  me.  See,  there's  the  mark  of  it,"  and  he 
showed  a  long  scar  on  his  forehead.  "He  went  off 
with  my  best  axe,  a  gill  of  brandy,  and  a  good  coat. 
He  was  looking  for  my  gun,  too,  but  that  was  in  a 
hidy-hole.  I  got  up  next  morning  with  a  dizzy  head, 
and  followed  him  nigh  ten  miles.  I  had  a  shot  at 
him,  but  I  missed,  and  his  legs  were  too  long  for 
me.    Yon's  the  dangerous  lad." 

"Where  did  he  go,  think  you?"  I  asked. 

"To  the  hills.  To  the  refuge  of  every  ne'er-do-weel. 
Belike  the  Indians  have  got  his  scalp,  and  I'm  not 
regretting  it." 

I  spent  three  days  with  Frew,  and  each  day  I  had 
the  notion  that  he  was  putting  me  to  the  test.  The 
first  day  he  took  me  over  the  river  into  a  great  tangle 
of  meadow  and  woodland  beyond  which  rose  the  hazy 
shapes  of  the  western  mountains.  The  man  was 
twenty  years  my  elder,  but  my  youth  was  of  no  avail 
against  his  iron  strength.  Though  I  was  hard  and 
spare  from  my  travels  in  the  summer  heat,  'twas  all  I 
could  do  to  keep  up  with  him,  and  only  my  pride  kept 
me  from  crying  halt.  Often  when  he  stopped  I  could 
have  wept  with  fatigue,  and  had  no  breath  for  a 
word,  but  his  taciturnity  saved  me   from  shame. 

In  a  hollow  among  the  woods  we  came  to  a  place 
which  sent  him  on  his  knees,  peering  and  sniffing  like 
a  wild-cat. 

83 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

"What  make  you  of  that?"  he  asked. 

I  saw  nothing  but  a  bare  patch  in  the  grass,  some 
broken  twigs,  and  a  few  ashes. 

"It's  an  old  camp,"  I  said. 

"Ay,"  said  he.  "Nothing  more?  Use  your  wits, 
man." 

I  used  them,  but  they  gave  me  no  help. 

"This  is  the  way  I  read  it,  then,"  he  said.  "Three 
men  camped  here  before  midday.  They  were  Chero- 
kees,  of  the  Matabaw  tribe,  and  one  was  a  maker  of 
arrows.  They  were  not  hunting,  and  they  were  in  a 
mighty  hurry.  Just  now  they're  maybe  ten  miles  off, 
or  maybe  they're  watching  us.  This  is  no  healthy 
country  for  you  and  me." 

He  took  me  homeward  at  a  speed  which  wellnigh 
foundered  me,  and,  when  I  questioned  him,  he  told 
me  where  he  got  his  knowledge. 

They  were  three  men,  for  there  were  three  differ- 
ent footmarks  in  the  ashes'  edge,  and  they  were  Chero- 
kees  because  they  made  their  fire  in  the  Cherokee  way, 
so  that  the  smoke  ran  in  a  tunnel  into  the  scrub.  They 
were  Matabaws  from  the  pattern  of  their  moccasins. 
They  were  in  a  hurry,  for  they  did  not  wait  to  scat- 
ter the  ashes  and  clear  up  the  place;  and  they  were 
not  hunting,  for  they  cooked  no  flesh.  One  was  an 
arrow-maker,  for  he  had  been  hardening  arrow-points 
in  the  fire,  and  left  behind  him  the  arrow-maker's 
thong. 

"But  how  could  you  know  how  long  back  this  had 
happened?"  I  asked. 

"The  sap  was  still  wet  In  the  twigs,  so  it  could  not 

84 


TELLS  OF  MY  EDUCATION 

have  been  much  above  an  hour  since  they  left.  Be- 
sides, the  smoke  had  blown  south,  for  the  grass  smelt 
of  it  that  side.  Now  the  wind  was  more  to  the  east 
when  we  left,  and,  if  you  remember,  it  changed  to  the 
north  about  midday." 

I  said  it  was  a  marvel,  and  he  grunted.  "The  mar- 
vel is  what  they've  been  doing  in  the  Tidewater,  for 
from  the  Tidewater  I'll  swear  they  came." 

Next  day  he  led  me  eastward,  away  back  in  the 
direction  of  the  manors.  This  was  an  easier  day,  for 
he  went  slow,  as  if  seeking  for  something.  He  picked 
up  some  kind  of  a  trail,  which  we  followed  through 
the  long  afternoon.  Then  he  found  something,  which 
he  pocketed  with  a  cry  of  satisfaction.  We  were  then 
on  the  edge  of  a  ridge,  whence  we  looked  south  to 
the  orchards  of  Henricus. 

"That  is  my  arrow-maker,"  he  cried,  showing  me  a 
round  stone  whorl.  "He's  a  careless  lad,  and  he'll 
lose  half  his  belongings  ere  he  wins  to  the  hills." 

I  was  prepared  for  the  wild  Cherokees  on  our  jour- 
ney of  yesterday,  but  it  amazed  me  that  the  savages 
should  come  scouting  into  the  Tidewater  itself.  He 
smiled  grimly  when  I  said  this,  and  took  from  his 
pocket  a  crumpled  feather. 

"That's  a  Cherokee  badge,"  he  said.  "I  found 
that  a  fortnight  back  on  the  river-side  an  hour's  ride 
out  of  James  Town.  And  it  wasna  there  when  I  had 
passed  the  same  place  the  day  before.  The  Tidewater 
thinks  it  has  put  the  fear  of  God  on  the  hill  tribes, 
and  here's  a  red  Cherokee  snowking  about  its  back 
doors." 

85 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

The  last  day  he  took  me  north  up  a  stream  called 
the  North  Fork,  which  joined  with  his  own  river.  I 
had  left  my  musket  behind,  for  this  heavy  travel  made 
me  crave  to  go  light,  and  I  had  no  use  for  it.  But 
that  day  it  seemed  we  were  to  go  hunting. 

He  carried  an  old  gun,  and  slew  with  it  a  deer  in 
a  marshy  hollow — a  pretty  shot,  for  the  animal  was  ill- 
placed.  We  broiled  a  steak  for  our  midday  meal,  and 
presently  clambered  up  a  high  woody  ridge  which 
looked  down  on  a  stream  and  a  piece  of  green 
meadow. 

Suddenly  he  stopped.  "A  buck,"  he  whispered. 
"See  what  you  can  do,  you  that  were  so  ready  with 
your  pistol."    And  he  thrust  his  gun  into  my  hand. 

The  beast  was  some  thirty  paces  off  in  the  dusk 
of  the  thicket.  It  nettled  me  to  have  to  shoot  with  a 
strange  weapon,  and  I  thought  too  lightly  of  the  mark. 
I  fired,  and  the  bullet  whistled  over  its  back.  He 
laughed  scornfully. 

I  handed  it  back  to  him.  "It  throws  high,  and  you 
did  not  warn  me.    Load  quick,  and  I'll  try  again." 

I  heard  the  deer  crashing  through  the  hillside  thicket, 
and  guessed  that  presently  it  would  come  out  in  the 
meadow.  I  was  right,  and  before  the  gun  was  in  my 
hands  again  the  beast  was  over  the  stream. 

It  was  a  long  range  and  a  difficult  mark,  but  I  had 
to  take  the  risk,  for  I  was  on  my  trial.  I  allowed  for 
the  throw  of  the  musket  and  the  steepness  of  the  hill, 
and  pulled  the  trigger.  The  shot  might  have  been 
better,  for  I  had  aimed  for  the  shoulder,  and  hit  the 
neck.     The  buck  leaped  into  the  air,  ran  three  yards, 

86 


TELLS  OF  MY  EDUCATION 

and  toppled  over.  By  the  grace  of  God,  I  had  found 
the  single  chance  in  a  hundred. 

Frew  looked  at  me  with  sincere  respect.  "That's 
braw  shooting,"  he  said.  "I  can't  say  I  ever  saw  its 
equal." 

That  night  in  the  smoky  cabin  he  talked  freely  for 
once.  "I  never  had  a  wife  or  bairn,  and  I  lean  on  no 
man.  I  can  fend  for  myself,  and  cook  my  dinner, 
and  mend  my  coat  when  it's  wanting  it.  When  Bacon 
died  I  saw  what  was  coming  to  this  land,  and  I  came 
here  to  await  it.  I've  had  some  sudden  calls  from  the 
red  gentry,  but  they  havena  got  me  yet,  and  they'll  no 
get  me  before  my  time.  I'm  in  the  Lord's  hands,  and 
He  has  a  job  for  Simon  Frew.  Go  back  to  your 
money-bags,  Mr.  Garvald.  Beat  the  English  mer- 
chants, my  lad,  and  take  my  blessing  with  you.  But 
keep  that  gun  of  yours  by  your  bedside,  for  the  time 
is  coming  when  a  man's  hands  will  have  to  keep  his 
head." 


CHAPTER  VII 

I  BECOME  AN  UNPOPULAR  CHARACTER 

I  DID  not  waste  time  in  getting  to  work.  I  had 
already  written  to  my  uncle,  telling  him  my  plans, 
and  presently  I  received  his  consent.  I  arranged  that 
cargoes  of  such  goods  as  I  thought  most  suitable  for 
Virginian  sales  should  arrive  at  regular  seasons  inde- 
pendent of  the  tobacco  harvest.  Then  I  set  about 
equipping  a  store.  On  the  high  land  north  of  James 
Town,  by  the  road  to  Middle  Plantation,  I  bought 
some  acres  of  cleared  soil,  and  had  built  for  me  a 
modest  dwelling.  Beside  it  stood  a  large  brick  build- 
ing, one  half  fitted  as  a  tobacco  shed,  where  the  leaf 
could  lie  for  months,  if  need  be,  without  taking  harm, 
and  the  other  arranged  as  a  merchant's  store  with 
roomy  cellars  and  wide  garrets.  I  relinquished  the 
warehouse  by  the  James  Town  quay,  and  to  my  joy  I 
was  able  to  relinquish  Mr.  Lambie.  That  timid  soul 
had  been  on  thorns  ever  since  I  mooted  my  new  pro- 
jects. He  implored  me  to  put  them  from  me ;  he  drew 
such  pictures  of  the  power  of  the  English  traders,  you 
would  have  thought  them  the  prince  merchants  of 
Venice;  he  saw  all  his  hard-won  gentility  gone  at  a 

88 


I  BECOME  AN  UNPOPULAR  CHARACTER 

blow,  and  himself  an  outcast  precluded  for  ever  from 
great  men's  recognition.  He  could  not  bear  it,  and 
though  he  was  loyal  to  my  uncle's  firm  in  his  own 
way,  he  sought  a  change.  One  day  he  announced  that 
he  had  been  offered  a  post  as  steward  to  a  big  planter 
at  Henricus,  and  when  I  warmly  bade  him  accept  it, 
he  smiled  wanly,  and  said  he  had  done  so  a  week  agone. 
We  parted  very  civilly,  and  I  chose  as  manager  my 
servant,  John  Faulkner. 

This  is  not  a  history  of  my  trading  ventures,  or  I 
would  tell  at  length  the  steps  I  took  to  found  a  new 
way  of  business.  I  went  among  the  planters,  offering 
to  buy  tobacco  from  the  coming  harvest,  and  to  pay  for 
it  in  bonds  which  could  be  exchanged  for  goods  at  my 
store.  I  also  offered  to  provide  shipment  In  the  au- 
tumn for  tobacco  and  other  wares,  and  I  fixed  the 
charge  for  freight — a  very  moderate  one — In  advance. 
My  plan  was  to  clear  out  my  store  before  the  return 
of  the  ships,  and  to  have  thereby  a  large  quantity  of 
tobacco  mortgaged  to  me.  I  hoped  that  thus  I  would 
win  the  friendship  and  custom  of  the  planters,  since  I 
offered  them  a  more  convenient  way  of  sale  and  higher 
profits.  I  hoped  by  breaking  down  the  English  monop- 
oly to  induce  a  continual  and  wholesome  commerce 
in  the  land.  For  this  purpose  it  was  necessary  to  get 
coin  into  the  people's  hands,  so,  using  my  uncle's 
credit,  I  had  a  parcel  of  English  money  from  the  New 
York  goldsmiths. 

In  a  week  I  found  myself  the  most-talked-of  man  in 
the  dominion,  and  soon  I  saw  the  troubles  that  credit 
brings.     I  had  picked  up  a  very  correct  notion  of  the 

89 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

fortunes  of  most  of  the  planters,  and  the  men  who 
were  most  eager  to  sell  to  me  were  just  those  I  could 
least  trust.  Some  fellow  who  was  near  bankrupt  from 
dice  and  cock-fighting  would  offer  me  five  hundred 
hogsheads,  when  I  knew  that  his  ill-guided  estate  could 
scarce  produce  half.  I  was  not  a  merchant  out  of  char- 
ity, and  I  had  to  decline  many  offers,  and  so  made 
many  foes.  Still,  one  way  and  another,  I  was  not 
long  in  clearing  out  my  store,  and  I  found  myself 
with  some  three  times  the  amount  of  tobacco  in  pros- 
pect that  I  had  sent  home  at  the  last  harvest. 

That  was  very  well,  but  there  was  the  devil  to  pay 
besides.     Every  wastrel  I  sent  off  empty-handed  was 
my  enemy;  the  agents  of  the  Englishmen  looked  sourly 
at  me;  and  many  a  man  who  was  swindled  grossly 
by  the  Bristol  buyers  saw  me  as  a  marauder  instead  of 
a  benefactor.      For   this   I   was   prepared;   but   what 
staggered  me  was  the  way  that  some   of  the  better 
sort  of  the  gentry  came  to  regard  me.      It  was  not 
that  they  did  not  give  me  their  custom;  that  I  did  not 
expect,  for  gunpowder  alone  would  change  the  habits 
of  a  Virginian  Tory.     But  my  new  business  seemed  to 
them  such  a  downcome  that  they  passed  me  by  with  a 
cock  of  the  chin.     Before  they  had  treated  me  hos- 
pitably, and  made  me  welcome  at  their  houses.     I  had 
hunted  the  fox  with  them — very  little  to  my  credit; 
and  shot  wild-fowl  in  their  company  with  better  suc- 
cess.   I  had  dined  with  them,  and  danced  in  their  halls 
at  Christmas.     Then  I  had  been  a  gentleman;  now  I 
was  a  shopkeeper,  a  creature  about  the  level  of  a  re- 
demptioner.     The  thing  was  so  childish  that  it  made 

90 


I  BECOME  AN  UNPOPULAR  CHARACTER 

me  angry.  It  was  right  for  one  of  them  to  sell  his 
tobacco  on  his  own  wharf  to  a  tarry  skipper  who 
cheated  him  grossly,  but  wrong  for  me  to  sell  keb- 
bucks  and  linsey-woolsey  at  an  even  bargain.  I  gave 
up  the  puzzle.  Some  folks'  notions  of  gentility  are 
beyond  my  wits. 

I  had  taken  to  going  to  the  church  In  James  Town, 
first  at  Mr.  Lambie's  desire,  and  then  because  I  liked 
the  sermons.  There  on  a  Sunday  you  would  see  the 
fashion  of  the  neighbourhood,  for  the  planters'  ladies 
rode  In  on  pillions,  and  the  planters  themselves.  In  gold- 
embroidered  waistcoats  and  plush  breeches  and  new- 
powdered  wigs,  leaned  on  the  tombstones,  and  ex- 
changed snuff-mulls  and  gossip.  In  the  old  ramshackle 
graveyard  you  would  see  such  a  parade  of  satin  bodices 
and  tabby  petticoats  and  lace  headgear  as  made  It  blos- 
som like  the  rose.  I  went  to  church  one  Sunday  in  my 
second  summer,  and,  being  late,  went  up  the  aisle  look- 
ing for  a  place.  The  men  at  the  seat-ends  would  not 
stir  to  accommodate  me,  and  I  had  to  find  rest  In  the 
cock-loft.  I  thought  nothing  of  It,  but  the  close  of  the 
service  was  to  enlighten  me.  As  I  went  down  the 
church-yard  not  a  man  or  woman  gave  me  greeting,  and 
when  I  spoke  to  any  I  was  not  answered.  These  were 
men  with  whom  I  had  been  on  the  friendliest  terms; 
women,  too,  who  only  a  week  before  had  chaffered 
with  me  at  the  store.  It  was  clear  that  the  little  society 
had  marooned  me  to  an  Isle  by  myself.  I  was  a  leper, 
unfit  for  gentlefolks'  company,  because,  forsooth,  I  had 
sold  goods,  which  every  one  of  them  did  also,  and  had 
tried  to  sell  them  fair. 

91 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

The  thing  made  me  very  bitter.  I  sat  in  my  house 
during  the  hot  noons  when  no  one  stirred,  and  black 
anger  filled  my  heart.  I  grew  as  peevish  as  a  slighted 
girl,  and  would  no  doubt  have  fretted  myself  into  some 
signal  folly,  had  not  an  event  occurred  which  braced 
my  soul  again.  This  was  the  arrival  of  the  English 
convoy. 

When  I  heard  that  the  ships  were  sighted,  I  made 
certain  of  trouble.  I  had  meantime  added  to  my  staff 
two  other  young  men,  who,  like  Faulkner,  lived  with 
me  at  the  store.  Also  I  had  got  four  stalwart  negro 
slaves  who  slept  in  a  hut  in  my  garden.  'Twas  a  strong 
enough  force  to  repel  a  drunken  posse  from  the  plan- 
tations, and  I  had  a  fancy  that  It  would  be  needed  in 
the  coming  weeks. 

Two  days  later,  going  down  the  street  of  James 
Town,  I  met  one  of  the  English  skippers,  a  red-faced, 
bottle-nosed  old  ruffiain  called  Bullivant.  He  was 
full  of  apple-jack,  and  strutted  across  the  way  to 
accost  me. 

"What's  this  I  hear,  Sawney?"  he  cried.  "You're 
setting  up  as  a  pedlar,  and  trying  to  cut  In  on  our 
trade.  Od  twist  me,  but  we'll  put  an  end  to  that,  my 
bully-boy.  D'you  think  the  King,  God  bless  him,  made 
the  laws  for  a  red-haired,  flea-bitten  Sawney  to  diddle 
true-born  Englishmen?  What'U  the  King's  Bench 
say  to  that,  think  ye?" 

He  was  very  abusive,  but  very  uncertain  on  his  legs. 
I  said  good-humouredly  that  I  welcomed  process  of 
law,  and  would  defend  my  action.  He  shook  his  head, 
and  said  something  about  law  not  being  everything, 

92 


I  BECOME  AN  UNPOPULAR  CHARACTER 

and  England  being  a  long  road  off.  He  had  clearly 
some  great  threat  to  be  delivered  of,  but  just  then  he 
sat  down  so  heavily  that  he  had  no  breath  for  anything 
but  curses. 

But  the  drunkard  had  given  me  a  notion.  I  hurried 
home  and  gave  instructions  to  my  men  to  keep  a  special 
guard  on  the  store.  Then  I  set  off  in  a  pinnace  to 
find  my  three  ships,  which  were  now  lading  up  and 
down  among  the  creeks. 

That  was  the  beginning  of  a  fortnight's  struggle, 
when  every  man's  hand  was  against  me,  and  I  enjoyed 
myself  surprisingly.  I  was  never  at  rest  by  land  or 
water.  The  ships  were  the  least  of  the  business,  for  the 
dour  Scots  seamen  were  a  match  for  all  comers.  I 
made  them  anchor  at  twilight  in  mid-stream  for  safety's 
sake,  for  in  that  drouthy  clime  a  firebrand  might  play 
havoc  with  them.  The  worst  that  happened  was  that 
one  moonless  night  a  band  of  rascals,  rigged  out  as 
Indian  braves,  came  yelling  down  to  the  quay  where 
some  tobacco  was  waiting  to  be  shipped,  and  before 
my  men  were  warned  had  tipped  a  couple  of  hogs- 
heads into  the  water.  They  got  no  further,  for  we 
fell  upon  them  with  marling-spikes  and  hatchets, 
stripped  them  of  their  feathers,  and  sent  them  to  cool 
their  heads  in  the  muddy  river.  The  ringleader  I  haled 
to  James  Town,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  him 
grinning  through  a  collar  in  the  common  stocks. 

Then  I  hied  me  back  to  my  store,  which  was  my 
worst  anxiety.  I  was  followed  by  ill  names  as  I  went 
down  the  street,  and  one  day  in  a  tavern  a  young  fool 
drew  his  shabble  on  me.     But  I  would  quarrel  with  no 

93 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

man,  for  that  was  a  luxury  beyond  a  trader.  There  had 
been  an  attack  on  my  tobacco  shed  by  some  of  the 
English  seamen,  and  in  the  mellay  one  of  my  blacks 
got  an  ugly  wound  from  a  cutlass.  It  was  only  a  fore- 
taste, and  I  set  my  house  in  order. 

One  afternoon  John  Faulkner  brought  me  word  that 
mischief  would  be  afoot  at  the  darkening.  I  put  each 
man  to  his  station,  and  I  had  the  sense  to  picket  them 
a  little  distance  from  the  house.  The  Englishmen 
were  clumsy  conspirators.  We  watched  them  arrive, 
let  them  pass,  and  followed  silently  on  their  heels. 
Their  business  was  wreckage,  and  they  fixed  a  charge 
of  powder  by  the  tobacco  shed,  laid  and  lit  a  fuse,  and 
retired  discreetly  into  the  bushes  to  watch  their  handi- 
work. Then  we  fell  upon  them,  and  the  hindquarters 
of  all  bore  witness  to  our  greeting. 

I  caught  the  fellow  who  had  laid  the  fuse,  tied  the 
whole  thing  round  his  neck,  clapped  a  pistol  to  his  ear, 
and  marched  him  before  me  into  the  town.  "If  you 
are  minded  to  bolt,"  I  said,  "remember  you  have  a 
charge  of  gunpowder  lobbing  below  your  chin.  I  have 
but  to  flash  my  pistol  into  it,  and  they  will  be  picking 
the  bits  of  you  off  the  high  trees." 

I  took  the  rascal,  his  knees  knocking  under  him, 
straight  to  the  ordinary  where  the  English  merchants 
chiefly  forgathered.  A  dozen  of  them  sat  over  a  bowl 
of  punch,  when  the  door  was  opened  and  I  kicked  my 
Guy  Fawkes  inside.  I  may  have  misjudged  them,  but 
I  thought  every  eye  looked  furtive  as  they  saw  my 
prisoner. 

"Gentlemen,"  said  I,  "I  restore  you  your  property. 

94 


I  BECOME  AN  UNPOPULAR  CHARACTER 

This  is  a  penitent  thief  who  desires  to  make  a  confes- 


sion." 


My  pistol  was  at  his  temple,  the  powder  was  round 
his  neck,  and  he  must  have  seen  a  certain  resolution 
in  my  face.  Anyhow,  sweating  and  quaking,  he  blurted 
out  his  story,  and  when  he  offered  to  halt  I  made  rings 
with  the  barrel  on  the  flesh  of  his  neck. 

"It  is  a  damned  lie,"  cried  one  of  them,  a  handsome, 
over-dressed  fellow  who  had  been  conspicuous  for  his 
public  insolence  towards  me. 

"Nay,"  said  I,  "our  penitent's  tale  has  the  note  of 
truth.  One  word  to  you,  gentlemen.  I  am  hospitably 
inclined,  and  if  any  one  of  you  will  so  far  honour  me 
as  to  come  himself  instead  of  dispatching  his  servant, 
his  welcome  will  be  the  warmer.  I  bid  you  good-night 
and  leave  you  this  fellow  in  proof  of  my  goodwill. 
Keep  him  away  from  the  candle,  I  pray  you,  or  you  will 
all  go  to  hell  before  your  time." 

That  was  the  end  of  my  worst  troubles,  and  pres- 
ently my  lading  was  finished  and  my  store  replenished. 
Then  came  the  time  for  the  return  sailing,  and  the 
last  enterprise  of  my  friends  was  to  go  off  without  my 
three  vessels.  But  I  got  an  order  from  the  Governor, 
delivered  readily  but  with  much  profanity,  to  the  com- 
mander of  the  frigates  to  delay  till  the  convoy  was 
complete.  I  breathed  more  freely  as  I  saw  the  last 
hulls  grow  small  in  the  estuary.  For  now,  as  I  reasoned 
It  out,  the  planters  must  begin  to  compare  my  prices 
with  the  Englishmen's,  and  must  come  to  see  where 
their  advantage  lay. 

But  I  had  counted  my  chickens  too  soon,  and  was  to 

9S 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

be  woefuly  disappointed.  At  that  time  all  the  coast  of 
America  from  New  England  to  the  Main  was  infested 
by  pirate  vessels.  Some  sailed  under  English  letters 
of  marque,  and  preyed  only  on  the  shipping  of  France, 
with  whom  we  were  at  war.  Some  who  had  formed 
themselves  into  a  company  called  the  Brethren  of  the 
Coast  robbed  the  Spanish  treasure-ships  and  merchant- 
men in  the  south  waters,  and  rarely  came  north  to  our 
parts  save  to  careen  or  provision.  They  were  mostly 
English  and  Welsh,  with  a  few  Frenchmen,  and  though 
I  have  little  to  say  for  their  doings,  they  left  British 
ships  in  the  main  unmolested,  and  were  welcomed  as  a 
godsend  by  our  coast  dwellers,  since  they  smuggled 
goods  to  them  which  would  have  been  twice  the  cost 
if  bought  at  the  convoy  markets.  Lastly,  there  were 
one  or  two  horrid  desperadoes  who  ravaged  the  seas 
like  tigers.  Such  an  one  was  the  man  Cosh,  and  that 
Teach,  surnamed  Blackbeard,  of  whom  we  hear  too 
much  to-day.  But,  on  the  whole,  we  of  Virginia  suf- 
fered not  at  all  from  these  gentlemen  of  fortune,  and 
piracy,  though  the  common  peril  of  the  seas,  entered 
but  little  into  the  estimation  of  the  merchants. 

Judge,  then,  of  my  disgust  when  I  got  news  a  week 
later  that  one  of  my  ships,  the  Ayr  brig,  had  straggled 
from  the  convoy,  and  been  seized,  rifled,  and  burned  to 
the  water  by  pirates  almost  in  sight  of  Cape  Charles. 
The  loss  was  grievous,  but  what  angered  me  was  the 
mystery  of  such  a  happening.  I  knew  the  brig  was  a 
slow  sailer,  but  how  in  the  name  of  honest}'  could  she 
be  suffered  in  broad  daylight  to  fall  into  such  a  fate? 
I  remembered  the   hostilitv'  of  the   Englishmen,   and 

96 


I  BECOME  AN  UNPOPULAR  CHARACTER 

feared  she  had  had  foul  play.  Just  after  Christmas- 
tide  I  expected  two  ships  to  replenish  the  stock  in  my 
store.  They  arrived  safe,  but  only  by  the  skin  of  their 
teeth,  for  both  had  been  chased  from  their  first  en- 
trance into  American  waters,  and  only  their  big  topsails 
and  a  favouring  wind  brought  them  off.  I  examined 
the  captains  closely  on  the  matter,  and  they  were  posi- 
tive that  their  assailant  was  not  Cosh  or  any  one  of  his 
kidney,  but  a  ship  of  the  Brethren,  who  ordinarily  were 
on  the  best  of  terms  with  our  merchantmen. 

My  suspicions  now  grew  into  a  fever.  I  had  long 
believed  that  there  was  some  connivance  between  the 
pirates  of  the  coast  and  the  English  traders,  and  small 
blame  to  them  for  it.  'Twas  a  sensible  way  to  avoid 
trouble,  and  I  for  one  would  rather  pay  a  modest  black- 
mail every  month  or  two  than  run  the  risk  of  losing  a 
good  ship  and  a  twelvemonth's  cargo.  But  when  it 
came  to  using  this  connivance  for  private  spite,  the 
thing  was  not  to  be  endured. 

In  March  my  doubts  became  certainties.  I  had  a 
parcel  of  gold  coin  coming  to  me  from  New  York  in 
one  of  the  coasting  vessels — no  great  sum,  but  more 
than  I  cared  to  lose.  Presently  I  had  news  that  the 
ship  was  aground  on  a  sandspit  on  Accomac,  and  had 
been  plundered  by  a  pirate  brigantine.  I  got  a  sloop 
and  went  down  the  river,  and,  sure  enough,  I  found  the 
vessel  newly  refloated,  and  the  captain,  an  old  New 
Hampshire  fellow,  in  a  great  taking.  Piracy  there 
had  been,  but  of  a  queer  kind,  for  not  a  farthing's 
worth  had  been  touched  except  my  packet  of  gold. 
The  skipper  was  honesty  itself,  and  it  was  plain  that 

97 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

the  pirate  who  had  chased  the  ship  a}:!;round  and  then 
come  aboard  to  plunder,  had  done  it  to  do  me  hurt, 
and  me  alone. 

All  this  macJe  me  feel  pretty  solemn.  My  uncle  was 
a  rich  man,  hut  no  firm  could  afford  these  repeated 
losses.  1  was  the  most  unpopular  figure  in  Virginia, 
hate(J  by  many,  despised  by  the  genteel,  whose  only 
friends  were  my  own  servants  and  a  few  poverty- 
stricken  landward  folk.  1  had  found  out  a  good  way 
of  trade,  but  I  had  set  a  hornet's  nest  buzzing  about 
my  cars,  and  was  on  the  fair  way  to  be  extinguished. 
']  his  alliance  between  my  rivals  and  the  Free  Compan- 
ions was  the  last  straw  to  my  burilen.  If  the  sea  was 
to  be  shut  to  him,  then  a  merchant  might  as  well  put  up 
his  shutters. 

I(  made  trie  solemn,  but  also  most  mightily  angry. 
If  the  stars  in  their  courses  were  going  to  fight  against 
Andrew  Ciarvald,  (hey  should  find  him  ready.  I  went 
to  the;  (iovcrnor,  but  he  gave  me  no  comfort.  Indeed, 
lie  laughed  at  me,  and  bade  me  try  the  same  weapon 
as  my  adversaries.  1  left  liim,  very  wrathful,  and  after 
a  niglif's  sleep  I  began  to  see  reason  in  his  words. 
Clearly  the  law  of  Virginia  or  of  England  would  give 
me  no  redress.  I  was  an  alien  from  the  genteel  world; 
why  sfiould  I  not  get  the  benefit  of  my  ungentility? 
11  my  riv;iis  went  for  their  weapons  into  dark  |)laces, 
I  could  surely  do  likewise.  A  line  of  Virgil  came  into 
my  li(;id,  which  seemed  to  me  to  contain  very  good 
counsel  :  " I'lcclcrc  si  ncf/iico  supcros,  Aclicronta  vio- 
vcho,"  which  means  that  if  you  cannot  get  Heaven  on 
your  side,  you  had  better  try  for  llie  Devil. 

98 


T  BKaniK  AN  liM\)ri  1  AU  C  11  AUAC^ri  K 


Init  luM\  was  I  (*>  m'l  mio  (oiuh  \\i(h  (lu-  l\-\il? 
Aiul  [hen  1  ri.Miu'ml>iMc\l  m  .i  tl.isli  ui\  nu\-tii\^  with 
the  soa-i'.ipt.iiii  o\\  [\\c  C>l.ist;on  st.nrhc.ul  .iiul  his  jmoiu- 
iso  li)  lu'lp  iiu\  I  li.ul  iu>  luUion  who  Uc  w.is  oi'  h(W\' 
ho  couKl  .lul.  hut  1  h.ul  .1  \  .liMU'  iiu'inofN  ot  his  powiM" 
:uul  hriskiicss.  1  K-  h.ul  K>oki.\l  hkr  iht-  kiuil  ot  l.ul  w  hi^ 
nii^ht  i\>iuhut  u\c  iiilo  (lie  w  iKl  wimKI  oI  (he  !•  iw  Com- 
panions. 

1  sought  Mciwr's  taxcTii  h\  the  \\ater-sule,  a  melan- 
choly plaee  i^row  n  u[>  >\ith  w  eeils,  with  a  \ai\l  ^W  ilark 
trees  at  (he  haek  ol  it.  (  MJ  Mereer  w.is  .\\\  i-Kler  iii 
(he  li((le  \\(>t><len  rreslntenan  kuk.  whuh  1  h.ul  t.ikeii 
to  atteIulln^  siiue  m\  iiii.in\-ls  with  the  L^entrv.  lie 
knew  nil'  aiul  m'eeteil  nu-  w  ith  his  ilolelul  smiK-,  sluikin;;- 
his    loolish   (>K1   heard. 

"What's  M>ur  err.mil  (his  e'en.  Mr.  (.  I'afN  aKl ;'"  Uc 
s:iid  m  hrt>a»,l  Seots.  "Will  \  on  ilrink  a  rummer  o' 
tO(.KU-,  Of  [v\  some  tine  auKl  usqiubau^h  1  hae  ^o(  trae 
niv  eousin  in   Iniehan  ?" 

1  sat  do\\  n  iin  the  settle  outsuK-  the  t.iN-ern  <lin>f. 
"This  is  m\  errand.  1  Nx.int  \  ou  to  hrin;^  me  to  .i  m.m 
or  hrini;  th.it  man  to  me.  I  lis  name  is  iSim.m  Camp- 
hell." 

iMereer  li>iiked  at  me  ilullv. 

"There  was  .i  hul  o'  (h.it  n.ime  was  haniL",t\l  a(  In- 
veraray i'  'dS   tin-  ste.ilin"  [\\  ac  hens  .iiul  a  wether." 

"The  man  I  me. in  is  Kmi;',  .iiul  le.m.  .iiul  his  he.ul  is 
as  revl  as  tire.  lie  i;aNe  me  \our  n.inu-.  so  \  ou  must 
know   him." 

1  lis  e\i"s  slu>\\  i\l  no  r(.-ei\;\iiit  ion.  lie  ri'pe.ited  the 
name  lo  himselt,  mumhlin;;  it  toothlessly.     "It  stieks  i' 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

my  memory,"  he  said,  "but  when  and  where  I  canna 
tell.     Certes,  there's  no  man  o'  the  name  in  Virginia." 

I  was  beginning  to  think  that  my  memory  had  played 
me  false,  when  suddenly  the  whole  scene  in  the  Salt- 
market  leaped  vividly  to  my  brain.  Then  I  remem- 
bered the  something  else  I  had  been  enjoined  to  say. 

"Ninian  Campbell,"  I  went  on,  "bade  me  ask  for 
him  here,  and  I  was  to  tell  you  that  the  lymphads  are 
on  the  loch  and  the  horn  of  Diarmaid  has  sounded." 

In  a  twinkling  his  face  changed  from  vacancy  to 
shrewdness  and  from  senility  to  purpose.  He  glanced 
uneasily  round. 

"For  God's  sake,  speak  soft,"  he  whispered.  "Come 
inside,  man.  We'll  steek  the  door,  and  then  I'll  hear 
your  business." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

RED   RINGAN 

ONCE  at  Edinburgh  College  I  had  read  the  Latin 
tale  of  Apuleius,  and  the  beginning  stuck  in  my 
memory:  "Thraciam  ex  negotio  petebam" — "I  was 
starting  off  for  Thrace  on  business."  That  was  my 
case  now.  I  was  about  to  plunge  into  a  wild  world  for 
no  more  startling  causes  than  that  I  was  a  trader  who 
wanted  to  save  my  pocket.  It  is  to  those  who  seek  only 
peace  and  a  quiet  life  that  adventures  fall;  the  homely 
merchant,  jogging  with  his  pack  train,  finds  the  en- 
chanted forest  and  the  sleeping  princess;  and  Saul, 
busily  searching  for  his  father's  asses,  stumbled  upon  a 
kingdom. 

"What  seek  ye  with  Ringan?"  Mercer  asked,  when 
we  had  sat  down  inside  with  locked  doors. 

"The  man's  name  is  Ninian  Campbell,"  I  said,  some- 
what puzzled. 

"Well,  it's  the  same  thing.  What  did  they  teach 
you  at  Lesmahagow  if  ye  don't  know  that  Ringan 
is  the  Scots  for  Ninan?  Lord  bless  me,  laddie, 
don't  tell  me  ye've  never  heard  of  Red  Rin- 
gan?" 

lOI 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

To  be  sure  I  had;  I  had  heard  of  little  else  for  a 
twelvemonth.  In  every  tavern  in  Virginia,  when  men 
talked  of  the  Free  Companions,  it  was  the  name  of  Red 
Ringan  that  came  first  to  their  tongues.  I  had  been 
too  occupied  by  my  own  aflairs  to  listen  just  then  to 
fireside  tales,  but  I  could  not  help  hearing  of  this  man's 
exploits.  He  was  a  kind  of  leader  of  the  buccaneers, 
and  by  all  accounts  no  miscreant  like  Cosh,  but  a  mirth- 
ful fellow,  striking  hard  when  need  be,  but  at  other 
times  merciful  and  jovial.  Now  I  set  little  store  by 
your  pirate  heroes.  They  are  for  lads  and  silly  girls 
and  sots  in  an  ale-house,  and  a  merchant  can  have  no 
kindness  for  those  who  are  the  foes  of  his  trade.  So 
when  I  heard  that  the  man  I  sought  was  this  notorious 
buccaneer  I  showed  my  alarm  by  dropping  my  jaw. 

Mercer  laughed.  "I'll  not  conceal  from  you  that 
you  take  a  certain  risk  in  going  to  Ringan.  You  need 
not  tell  me  your  business,  but  it  should  be  a  grave  one 
to  take  you  down  to  the  Carolina  keys.  There's  time 
to  draw  back,  if  ye  want;  but  you've  brought  me  the 
master  word,  and  I'm  bound  to  set  you  on  the  road. 
Just  one  word  to  ye,  Mr.  Garvald.  Keep  a  stout  face 
whatever  you  see,  for  Ringan  has  a  weakness  for  a  bold 
man.  Be  here  the  morn  at  sunrise,  and  if  ye're  wise 
bring  no  weapon.  I'll  see  to  the  boat  and  the  provision- 
ing." 

I  was  at  the  water-side  next  day  at  cock-crow,  while 
the  mist  was  still  low  on  the  river.  Mercer  was  busy 
putting  food  and  a  keg  of  water  into  a  light  sloop,  and 
a  tall  Indian  was  aboard  redding  out  the  sails.  My 
travels  had  given  me  some  knowledge  of  the  red  tribes, 

102 


RED  RINGAN 

and  I  spoke  a  little  of  their  language,  but  this  man  was 
of  a  type  not  often  seen  in  the  Virginian  lowlands.  He 
was  very  tall,  with  a  skin  clear  and  polished  like  bronze, 
and,  unlike  the  ordinary  savage,  his  breast  was  un- 
marked, and  his  hair  unadorned.  He  was  naked  to  the 
waist,  and  below  wore  long  leather  breeches,  dyed  red, 
and  fringed  with  squirrels'  tails.  In  his  wampum  belt 
were  stuck  a  brace  of  knives  and  a  tomahawk.  It 
seemed  he  knew  me,  for  as  I  approached  he  stood  up 
to  his  full  height,  and  put  his  hands  on  his  forehead. 
"Brother,"  he  said,  and  his  grave  eyes  looked  steadily 
into  mine. 

Then  I  remembered.  Some  months  before  I  had 
been  riding  back  the  road  from  Green  Springs,  and  in 
a  dark,  woody  place  had  come  across  an  Indian  sore 
beset  by  three  of  the  white  scum  which  infested  the 
river-side.  What  the  quarrel  was  I  know  not,  but  I 
liked  little  the  villainous  look  of  the  three,  and  I  liked 
much  the  clean,  lithe  figure  of  their  opponent.  So  I 
rode  my  horse  among  them,  and  laid  on  to  them  with 
the  but  of  my  whip.  They  had  their  knives  out,  but 
I  managed  to  disarm  the  one  who  attacked  me,  and 
my  horse  upset  a  second,  while  the  Indian,  who  had  no 
weapon  but  a  stave,  cracked  the  head  of  the  last.  I 
got  nothing  worse  than  a  black  eye,  but  the  man  I  had 
rescued  bled  from  some  ugly  cuts  which  I  had  much 
ado  stanching.  He  shook  hands  with  me  gravely  when 
I  had  done,  and  vanished  into  the  thicket.  He  was  a 
Seneca  Indian,  and  I  wondered  what  one  of  that  house 
was  doing  in  the  Tidewater. 

Mercer  told  me  his  name.     "Shalah  will  take  you 

103 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

to  the  man  you  ken.  Do  whatever  he  tells,  you,  Mr. 
Garvald,  for  this  is  a  job  in  which  you're  nothing  but  a 
bairn."  We  pushed  off,  the  Indian  taking  the  oars, 
and  in  five  minutes  James  Town  was  lost  in  the  haze. 

On  the  Surrey  shore  we  picked  up  a  breeze,  and  with 
the  ebbing  tide  made  good  speed  down  the  estuary. 
Shalah  the  Indian  had  the  tiller,  and  I  sat  luxuriously 
in  the  bows,  smoking  my  cob  pipe,  and  wondering  what 
the  next  week  held  in  store  for  me.  The  night  before  I 
had  had  qualms  about  the  whole  business,  but  the  air 
of  morning  has  a  trick  of  firing  my  blood,  and  I  believe 
I  had  forgotten  the  errand  which  was  taking  me  to  the 
Carolina  shores.  It  was  enough  that  I  was  going  into 
a  new  land  and  new  company.  Last  night  I  had  thought 
with  disfavour  of  Red  Ringan  the  buccaneer;  that 
morning  I  thought  only  of  Ninian  Campbell,  with 
whom  I  had  forgathered  on  a  Glasgow  landing. 

My  own  thoughts  kept  me  silent,  and  the  Indian 
never  opened  his  mouth.  Like  a  statue  he  crouched  by 
the  tiller,  with  his  sombre  eyes  looking  to  the  sea. 
That  night,  when  we  had  rounded  Cape  Henry  in  fine 
weather,  we  ran  the  sloop  into  a  little  bay  below  a 
headland,  and  made  camp  for  the  night  beside  a  stream 
of  cold  water.  Next  morning  it  blew  hard  from  the 
north,  and  in  a  driving  rain  we  crept  down  the  Carolina 
coast.  One  incident  of  the  day  I  remember.  I  took  in 
a  reef  or  two,  and  adjusted  the  sheets,  for  this  was  a 
game  I  knew  and  loved.  The  Indian  watched  me 
closely,  and  made  a  sign  to  me  to  take  the  helm.  He 
had  guessed  that  I  knew  more  than  himself  about  the 
handling  of  a  boat  in  wind,  and  since  we  were  in  an 

104 


RED  RINGAN 

open  sea  where  his  guidance  was  not  needed,  he  pre- 
ferred to  trust  the  thing  to  me.  I  liked  the  trait  in  him, 
for  I  take  it  to  be  a  mark  of  a  wise  man  that  he  knows 
what  he  can  do,  and  is  not  ashamed  to  admit  what  he 
cannot. 

That  evening  we  had  a  cold  bed ;  but  the  storm  blew 
out  in  the  night,  and  the  next  day  the  sun  was  as  hot  as 
summer,  and  the  wind  a  point  to  the  east.  Shalah  once 
again  was  steersman,  for  we  were  inside  some  very 
ugly  reefs,  which  I  took  to  be  the  beginning  of  the 
Carolina  keys.  On  shore  forests  straggled  down  to 
the  sea,  so  that  sometimes  they  almost  had  their  feet 
in  the  surf;  but  now  and  then  would  come  an  open, 
grassy  space  running  far  inland.  These  were  the  great 
savannahs  where  herds  of  wild  cattle  and  deer  roamed, 
and  where  the  Free  Companions  came  to  fill  their  lard- 
ers. It  was  a  wilder  land  than  the  Tidewater,  for  only 
once  did  we  see  a  human  dwelling.  Far  remote  on  the 
savannahs  I  could  pick  out  twirls  of  smoke  rising  into 
the  blue  weather,  the  signs  of  Indian  hunting  fires. 
Shalah  began  now  to  look  for  landmarks,  and  to  take 
bearings  of  a  sort.  Among  the  maze  of  creeks  and 
shallow  bays  which  opened  on  the  land  side  it  needed 
an  Indian  to  pick  out  a  track. 

The  sun  had  all  but  set  when,  with  a  grunt  of  satis- 
faction, he  swung  round  the  tiller  and  headed  shore- 
wards.  Before  me  in  the  twilight  I  saw  only  a  wooded 
bluff  which,  as  we  approached,  divided  itself  into  two. 
Presently  a  channel  appeared,  a  narrow  thing  about  as 
broad  as  a  cable's  length,  into  which  the  wind  carried 
us.     Here  it  was  very  dark,  the  high  sides  with  their 

105 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

gloomy  trees  showing  at  the  top  a  thin  line  of  redden- 
ing sky.  Shalah  hugged  the  starboard  shore,  and  as 
the  screen  of  the  forest  caught  the  wind  it  weakened 
and  weakened  till  it  died  away,  and  we  moved  only 
with  the  ingoing  tide.  I  had  never  been  in  so  eery  a 
place.  It  was  full  of  the  sharp  smell  of  pine  trees,  and 
as  I  sniffed  the  air  I  caught  the  savour  of  wood  smoke. 
Men  were  somewhere  ahead  of  us  in  the  gloom. 

Shalah  ran  the  sloop  into  a  little  creek  so  overgrown 
with  vines  that  we  had  to  lie  flat  on  the  thwarts  to 
enter.  Then,  putting  his  mouth  to  my  ear,  he  spoke  for 
the  first  time  since  we  had  left  James  Town.  "It  is 
hard  to  approach  the  Master,  and  my  brother  must 
follow  me  close  as  the  panther  follows  the  deer.  Where 
Shalah  puts  his  foot  let  my  brother  put  his  also. 
Come." 

He  stepped  from  the  boat  to  the  hill-side,  and  with 
incredible  speed  and  stillness  began  to  ascend.  His 
long,  soft  strides  were  made  without  noise  or  effort, 
whether  the  ground  were  moss,  or  a  tangle  of  vines, 
or  loose  stones,  or  the  trunks  of  fallen  trees.  I  had 
prided  myself  on  my  hill-craft,  but  beside  the  Indian  I 
was  a  blundering  child.  I  might  have  made  shift  to 
travel  as  fast,  but  it  was  the  silence  of  his  progress 
that  staggered  me.  I  plunged,  and  slipped,  and 
sprawled,  and  my  heart  was  bursting  before  the  ascent 
ceased,  and  we  stole  to  the  left  along  the  hill  shoulder. 

Presently  came  a  gap  in  the  trees,  and  I  looked 
down  in  the  last  greyness  of  dusk  on  a  strange  and 
beautiful  sight.  The  channel  led  to  a  landlocked  pool, 
maybe  a  mile  around,  and  this  was  as  full  of  shipping 

io6 


RED  RINGAN 

as  a  town's  harbour.  The  water  was  but  a  pit  of  dark- 
ness, but  I  could  make  out  the  masts  rising  into  the  half 
light,  and  I  counted  more  than  twenty  vessels  in  that 
port.  No  light  was  shown,  and  the  whole  place  was 
quiet  as  a  grave. 

We  entered  a  wood  of  small  hemlocks,  and  I  felt 
rather  than  saw  the  ground  slope  in  front  of  us.  About 
two  hundred  feet  above  the  water  the  glen  of  a  little 
stream  shaped  itself  into  a  flat  cup,  which  was  invisible 
from  below,  and  girdled  on  three  sides  by  dark  forest. 
Here  we  walked  more  freely,  till  we  came  to  the  lip 
of  the  cup,  and  there,  not  twenty  paces  below  me  I  saw 
a  wonderful  sight.  The  hollow  was  lit  with  the  glow 
of  a  dozen  fires,  round  which  men  clustered.  Some 
were  busy  boucanning  meat  for  ship's  food,  some  were 
cooking  supper,  some  sprawled  in  idleness,  and  smoked 
or  diced.  The  night  had  now  grown  very  black  around 
us,  and  we  were  well  protected,  for  the  men  in  the 
glow  had  their  eyes  dazed,  and  could  not  spy  into  the 
darkness.  We  came  very  close  above  them,  so  that  I 
could  hear  their  talk.  The  smell  of  roasting  meat 
pricked  my  hunger,  and  I  realized  that  the  salt  air  had 
given  me  a  noble  thirst.  They  were  common  seamen 
from  the  pirate  vessels,  and,  as  far  as  I  could  judge, 
they  had  no  officer  among  them.  I  remarked  their 
fierce,  dark  faces,  and  the  long  knives  with  which  they 
slashed  and  trimmed  the  flesh  for  their  boucanning. 

Shalah  touched  my  hand,  and  I  followed  him  into  the 
wood.  We  climbed  again,  and  from  the  tinkle  of  the 
stream  on  my  left  I  judged  that  we  were  ascending 
to  a  higher  shelf  in  the  glen.    The  Indian  moved  very 

107 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

carefully,  as  noiseless  as  the  flight  of  an  owl,  and  I 
marvelled  at  the  gift.  In  after  days  I  was  to  become 
something  of  a  woodsman,  and  track  as  swiftly  and 
silently  as  any  man  of  my  upbringing.  But  I  never 
mastered  the  Indian  art  by  which  the  foot  descending  in 
the  darkness  on  something  that  will  crackle  checks  be- 
fore the  noise  is  made.  I  could  do  it  by  day,  when  I 
could  see  what  was  on  the  ground,  but  in  the  dark  the 
thing  was  beyond  me.  It  is  an  instinct  like  a  wild 
thing's,  and  possible  only  to  those  who  have  gone  all 
their  days  llghtshod  in  the  forest. 

Suddenly  the  slope  and  the  trees  ceased,  and  a  new 
glare  burst  on  our  eyes.  This  second  shelf  was  smaller 
than  the  first,  and  as  I  blinked  at  the  light  I  saw  that 
it  held  about  a  score  of  men.  Torches  made  of  pine 
boughs  dipped  in  tar  blazed  at  the  four  corners  of  the 
assembly,  and  in  the  middle  on  a  boulder  a  man  was 
sitting.  He  was  speaking  loudly,  and  with  passion,  but 
I  could  not  make  him  out.  Once  more  Shalah  put  his 
mouth  to  my  ear,  with  a  swift  motion  like  a  snake,  and 
whispered,  "The  Master." 

We  crawled  flat  on  our  bellies  round  the  edge  of 
the  cup.  The  trees  had  gone,  and  the  only  cover  was 
the  long  grass  and  the  low  sumach  bushes.  We  moved 
a  foot  at  a  time,  and  once  the  Indian  turned  in  his 
tracks  and  crawled  to  the  left  almost  into  the  open. 
My  sense  of  smell,  as  sharp  almost  as  a  dog's,  told  me 
that  horses  were  picketed  In  the  grass  in  front  of  us. 
Our  road  took  us  within  hearing  of  the  speaker,  and 
though  I  dared  not  raise  my  head,  I  could  hear  the  soft 
Highland  voice  of  my  friend.     He  seemed  now  to  be 

io8 


RED  RINGAN 

speaking  humorously,  for  a  laugh  came  from  the 
hearers. 

Once  at  the  crossing  of  a  little  brook,  I  pulled  a 
stone  into  the  water,  and  we  instantly  lay  as  still  as 
death.  But  men  preoccupied  with  their  own  concerns 
do  not  keep  anxious  watch,  and  our  precautions  were 
needless.  Presently  we  had  come  to  the  far  side  of  the 
shelf  abreast  of  the  boulder  on  which  he  sat  who 
seemed  to  be  the  chief  figure.  Now  I  could  raise  my 
head,  and  what  I  saw  made  my  eyes  dazzle. 

Red  Ringan  sat  on  a  stone  with  a  naked  cutlass 
across  his  knees.  In  front  stood  a  man,  the  most  evil- 
looking  figure  that  I  had  ever  beheld.  He  was  short 
but  very  sturdily  built,  and  wore  a  fine  laced  coat  not 
made  for  him,  which  hung  to  his  knees,  and  was 
stretched  tight  at  the  armpits.  He  had  a  heavy  pale 
face,  without  hair  on  It.  His  teeth  had  gone,  all  but 
two  buck-teeth  which  stuck  out  at  each  corner  of  his 
mouth,  giving  him  the  look  of  a  tusker.  I  could  see  his 
lips  moving  uneasily  in  the  glare  of  the  pine  boughs, 
and  his  eyes  darted  about  the  company  as  if  seeking 
countenance. 

Ringan  was  speaking  very  gravely,  with  his  eyes 
shining  like  sword  points.  The  others  were  every  make 
and  manner  of  fellow,  from  well-shaped  and  well-clad 
gentlemen  to  loutish  seamen  in  leather  jerkins.  Some 
of  the  faces  were  stained  dark  with  passion  and  crime, 
some  had  the  air  of  wild  boys,  and  some  the  hard  so- 
briety of  traders.  But  one  and  all  were  held  by  the 
dancing  eyes  of  the  man  that  spoke. 

"What  is  the  judgment,"  he  was  saying,  "of  the 

109 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

Free  Companions?    By  the  old  custom  of  the  Western 
Seas  I  call  upon  you,  gentlemen  all,  for  your  decision." 

Then  I  gathered  that  the  evil-faced  fellow  had  of- 
fended against  some  one  of  their  lawless  laws,  and  was 
on  his  trial. 

No  one  spoke  for  a  moment,  and  then  one  grizzled 
seaman  raised  his  hand.  "The  dice  must  judge,"  he 
said.     "He  must  throw  for  his  life  against  the  six." 

Another  exclaimed  against  this.  "Old  wives'  folly," 
he  cried,  with  an  oath.  "Let  Cosh  go  his  ways,  and 
swear  to  amend  them.  The  Brethren  of  the  Coast 
cannot  be  too  nice  in  these  little  matters.  We  are 
not  pursy  justices  or  mooning  girls." 

But  he  had  no  support.  The  verdict  was  for  the 
dice,  and  a  seaman  brought  Ringan  a  little  ivory  box, 
which  he  held  out  to  the  prisoner.  The  latter  took  it 
with  shaking  hand,  as  if  he  did  not  know  how  to  use  it. 

"You  will  cast  thrice,"  said  Ringan.  "Two  even 
throws,  and  you  are  free." 

The  man  fumbled  a  little  and  then  cast.  It  fell  a 
four. 

A  second  time  he  threw,  and  the  dice  lay  five. 

In  that  wild  place,  in  the  black  heart  of  night,  the 
terror  of  the  thing  fell  on  my  soul.  The  savage  faces, 
the  deadly  purpose  in  Ringan's  eyes,  the  fumbling  mis- 
creant before  him,  were  all  heavy  with  horror.  I  had 
no  doubt  that  Cosh  was  worthy  of  death,  but  this  cold 
and  merciless  treatment  froze  my  reason.  I  watched 
with  starting  eyes  the  last  throw,  and  I  could  not  hear 
Ringan  declare  it.  But  I  saw.  by  the  look  on  Cosh's 
face  what  it  had  been. 

no 


RED  RINGAN 

"It  is  your  privilege  to  choose  your  manner  of  death 
and  to  name  your  successor,"  I  heard  Ringan  say. 

But  Cosh  did  not  need  the  invitation.  Now  that  his 
case  was  desperate,  the  courage  in  him  revived.  He 
was  fully  armed,  and  in  a  second  he  had  drawn  a  knife 
and  leaped  for  Ringan's  throat. 

Perhaps  he  expected  it,  perhaps  he  had  learned  the 
art  of  the  wild  beast  so  that  his  body  was  answerable  to 
his  swiftest  wish.  I  do  not  know,  but  I  saw  Cosh's 
knife  crash  on  the  stone  and  splinter,  while  Ringan 
stood  by  his  side. 

"You  have  answered  my  question,"  he  said  quietly. 
"Draw  your  cutlass,  man.  You  have  maybe  one  chance 
in  ten  thousand  for  your  life." 

I  shut  my  eyes  as  I  heard  the  steel  clash.  Then  very 
soon  came  silence.  I  looked  again,  and  saw  Ringan 
wiping  his  blade  on  a  bunch  of  grass,  and  a  body  lying 
before  him. 

He  was  speaking — speaking,  I  suppose,  about  the 
successor  to  the  dead  man,  whom  two  negroes  had 
promptly  removed.  Suddenly  at  my  shoulder  Shalah 
gave  the  hoot  of  an  owl,  followed  at  a  second's  inter- 
val by  a  second  and  a  third.  I  suppose  it  was  some 
signal  agreed  with  Ringan,  but  at  the  time  I  thought 
the  man  had  gone  mad. 

I  was  not  very  sane  myself.  What  I  had  seen  had 
sent  a  cold  grue  through  me,  for  I  had  never  before 
seen  a  man  die  violently,  and  the  circumstances  of  the 
place  and  hour  made  the  thing  a  thousandfold  more 
awful.  I  had  a  black  fright  on  me  at  that  whole  com- 
pany of  merciless  men,  and  especially  at  Ringan,  whose 

III 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

word  was  law  to  them.  Now  the  worst  effect  of  fear 
is  that  it  obscures  good  judgment,  and  makes  a  man 
in  desperation  do  deeds  of  a  foolhardiness  from  which 
at  other  times  he  would  shrink.  All  I  remembered  in 
that  moment  was  that  I  had  to  reach  Ringan,  and  that 
Mercer  had  told  me  that  the  safest  plan  was  to  show 
a  bold  front.  I  never  remembered  that  I  had  also  been 
bidden  to  follow  Shalah,  nor  did  I  reflect  that  a  secret 
conclave  of  pirates  was  no  occasion  to  choose  for  my 
meeting.  With  a  sudden  impulse  I  forced  myself  to 
my  feet,  and  stalked,  or  rather  shambled,  into  the 
light. 

"Ninian,"  I  cried,  "Ninian  Campbell!  I'm  here  to 
claim  your  promise." 

The  whole  company  turned  on  me,  and  I  was  gripped 
by  a  dozen  hands  and  flung  on  the  ground.  Ringan 
came  forward  to  look,  but  there  was  no  recognition 
in  his  eyes.  Some  one  cried  out,  "A  spy!"  and  there 
was  a  fierce  murmur  of  voices,  which  were  meaningless 
to  me,  for  fear  had  got  me  again,  and  I  had  neither 
ears  nor  voice.  Dimly  it  seemed  that  he  gave  some 
order,  and  I  was  trussed  up  with  ropes.  Then  I  was 
conscious  of  being  carried  out  of  the  glare  of  torches 
into  the  cool  darkness.  Presently  I  was  laid  in  some 
kind  of  log-house,  carpeted  with  fir  boughs,  for  the 
needles  tickled  my  face.  Bit  by  bit  my  senses  came 
back  to  me,  and  I  caught  hold  of  my  vagrant  courage. 

A  big  negro  in  seaman's  clothes  with  a  scarlet  sash 
round  his  middle  was  squatted  on  the  floor  watching 
me  by  the  light  of  a  ship's  lantern.  He  had  a  friendly, 
foolish  face,  and  I  remember  yet  how  he  rolled  his  eye- 
balls. 

112 


RED  RINGAN 

"I  won't  run  away,"  I  said,  "so  you  might  slacken 
these  ropes  and  let  me  breathe  easy." 

Apparently  he  was  an  accommodating  gaoler,  for  he 
did  as  I  wished. 

"And  give  me  a  drink,"  I  said,  "for  my  tongue's 
like  a  stick." 

He  mixed  me  a  pannikin  of  rum  and  water.  Per- 
haps he  hocussed  it,  or  maybe  'twas  only  the  effects  of 
spirits  on  a  weary  body;  but  three  minutes  after  I  had 
drunk  I  was  in  a  heavy  sleep, 


CHAPTER  IX 

VARIOUS  DOINGS  IX  THE  SAVANNAH 

I  AWOKE  in  broad  daylight,  and  when  my  wits 
came  back  to  me,  I  saw  I  was  in  a  tent  of  skins, 
with  my  limbs  unbound,  and  a  pitcher  of  water  beside 
me  placed  by  some  provident  hand.  Through  the  tent 
door  I  looked  over  a  wide  space  of  green  savannah. 
How  I  had  got  there  I  knew  not;  but,  as  my  memory 
repeated  the  events  of  the  night,  I  knew  I  had  travelled 
far,  for  the  sea  showed  miles  away  at  a  great  distance 
beneath  me.  On  the  water  I  saw  a  ship  in  full  sail, 
diminished  to  a  toy  size,  careering  northward  with  the 
wind. 

Outside  a  man  was  seated  whistling  a  cheerful  tune. 
I  got  to  my  feet  and  staggered  out  to  clear  my  head  in 
the  air,  and  found  the  smiling  face  of  Ringan. 

"Good-morning,  Andrew,"  he  cried,  as  I  sat  down 
beside  him.     "Have  you  slept  well?" 

I  rubbed  my  eyes  and  took  long  draughts  of  the 
morning  breeze. 

"Are  you  a  warlock,  Mr.  Campbell,  that  you  can 
spirit  folk  about  the  country  at  your  pleasure?  I  have 
slept  sound,  but  my  dreams  have  been  bad." 

"Yes,"  he  said;  "what  sort  of  dreams,  maybe?" 

"I  dreamed  I  was  in  a  wild  place  among  wild  men, 

114 


VARIOUS  DOINGS  IN  THE  SAVANNAH 

and  that  I  saw  murder  done.    The  look  of  the  man  who 
did  it  was  not  unlike  your  own." 

"You  have  dreamed  true,"  he  said  gravely;  "but  you 
have  the  wrong  word  for  it.  Others  would  call  it 
justice." 

"What  sort  of  justice?"  said  I,  "when  you  had  no 
court  or  law  but  just  what  you  made  yourself." 

"Is  it  not  a  stiff  Whiggamore?"  he  said,  looking  sky- 
wards. "Why,  man,  all  justice  is  what  men  make 
themselves.  What  hinders  the  Free  Companions  from 
making  as  honest  laws  as  any  cackling  Council  in  the 
towns?  Did  you  see  the  man  Cosh?  Have  you  heard 
anything  of  his  doings,  and  will  you  deny  that  the 
world  was  well  quit  of  him?  There's  a  decency  in  all 
trades,  and  Cosh  fair  stank  to  heaven.  But  I'm  glad 
the  thing  ended  as  it  did.  I  never  get  to  like  a  cold 
execution.  'Twas  better  for  everybody  that  he  should 
fly  at  my  face  and  get  six  inches  of  kindly  steel  in  his 
throat.  He  had  a  gentleman's  death,  which  was  more 
than  his  crimes  warranted." 

I  was  only  half  convinced.  Here  was  I,  a  law-abid- 
ing merchant,  pitchforked  suddenly  into  a  world  of  law- 
lessness. I  could  not  be  expected  to  adjust  my  views 
in  the  short  space  of  a  night. 

"You  gave  me  a  rough  handling,"  I  said.  "Where 
was  the  need  of  it?" 

"And  you  showed  very  little  sense  in  bursting  in  on 
us  the  way  you  did!  Could  you  not  have  bided  quietly 
till  Shalah  gave  the  word?  I  had  to  be  harsh  with  you, 
or  they  would  have  suspected  something  and  cut  your 
throat.  Yon  gentry  are  not  to  take  liberties  with. 
What  made  you  do  it,  Andrew?" 

115 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

"Just  that  I  was  black  afraid.  That  made  me  more 
feared  of  being  a  coward,  so  I  forced  myself  to  yon 
folly." 

"A  very  honourable  reason,"  he  said. 

"Are  you  the  leader  of  those  men?"  I  asked.  "They 
looked  a  scurvy  lot.  Do  you  call  that  a  proper  occu- 
pation for  the  best  blood  in  Breadalbane?" 

It  was  a  silly  speech,  and  I  could  have  bitten  my 
tongue  out  when  I  had  uttered  it.  But  I  was  in  a  vile 
temper,  for  the  dregs  of  the  negro's  rum  still  hummed 
in  my  blood.  His  face  grew  dark,  till  he  looked  like 
the  man  I  had  seen  the  night  before. 

"I  allow  no  man  to  slight  my  race,"  he  said  in  a  harsh 
voice. 

"It's  the  truth  whether  you  like  it  or  not.  And  you 
that  claimed  to  be  a  gentleman !  What  Is  it  they  say 
about  the  Highlands?"  And  I  quoted  a  ribald  Glas- 
gow proverb. 

What  moved  me  to  this  insolence  I  cannot  say.  I 
was  in  the  wrong,  and  I  knew  it,  but  I  was  too  much 
of  a  child  to  let  go  my  silly  pride. 

Ringan  got  up  very  quickly  and  walked  three  steps. 
The  blackness  had  gone  from  his  face,  and  it  was 
puzzled  and  melancholy. 

"There's  a  precious  lot  of  the  bairn  in  you,  Mr. 
Garvald,"  he  said,  "and  an  ugly  spice  of  the  Whigga- 
more.  I  would  have  killed  another  man  for  half  your 
words,  and  I've  got  to  make  you  pay  for  them  some- 
how."    And  he  knit  his  brows  and  pondered. 

"I'm  ready,"  said  I,  with  the  best  bravado  I  could 
muster,  though  the  truth  is  I  was  sick  at  heart.     I  had 

ii6 


VARIOUS  DOINGS  IN  THE  SAVANNAH 

forced  a  quarrel  like  an  ill-mannered  boy  on  the  very 
man  whose  help  I  had  come  to  seek.  And  I  saw,  too, 
that  I  had  gone  just  that  bit  too  far  for  which  no  recan- 
tation would  win  pardon. 

"What  sort  of  wayare  you  ready ?"he  asked  politely. 
"You  would  fight  me  with  your  pistols,  but  you  haven't 
got  them,  and  this  is  no  a  matter  that  will  wait.  I 
could  spit  you  in  a  jiffy  with  my  sword,  but  it  wouldna 
be  fair.  It  strikes  me  that  you  and  me  are  111  matched. 
We're  like  a  shark  and  a  wolf  that  cannot  meet  to  fight 
in  the  same  element." 

Then  he  ran  his  finger  down  the  buttons  of  his  coat, 
and  his  eyes  were  smiling.  "We'll  try  the  old  way  that 
laddies  use  on  the  village  green.  Man,  Andrew,  I'm 
going  to  skelp  you,  as  your  mother  skelped  you  when 
you  were  a  breechless  bairn."  And  he  tossed  his  coat 
on  the  grass. 

I  could  only  follow  suit,  though  I  was  black  ashamed 
at  the  whole  business.  I  felt  the  disgrace  of  my  con- 
duct, and  most  bitterly  the  disgrace  of  the  penalty. 

My  arm  was  too  short  to  make  a  fighter  of  me,  and 
I  could  only  strive  to  close,  that  I  might  get  the  use  of 
my  weight  and  my  great  strength  of  neck  and  shoulder. 
Ringan  danced  round  me,  tapping  me  lightly  on  nose 
and  cheek,  but  hard  enough  to  make  the  blood  flow.  I 
defended  myself  as  best  I  could,  while  my  temper  rose 
rapidly  and  made  me  forget  my  penitence.  Time  and 
again  I  looked  for  a  chance  to  slip  in,  but  he  was  as 
wary  as  a  fox,  and  was  a  yard  off  before  I  could  get  my 
arm  round  him. 

At  last  in  extreme  vexation,  I  lowered  my  head  and 

117 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

rushed  blindly  for  his  chest.  Something  like  the  sails 
of  a  windmill  smote  me  on  the  jaw,  and  I  felt  myself 
falling  into  a  pit  of  great  darkness  where  little  lights 
twinkled. 

The  next  I  knew  I  was  sitting  propped  against  the 
tent-pole  with  a  cold  bandage  round  my  forehead,  and 
Ringan  with  a  napkin  bathing  my  face. 

"Cheer  up,  man,"  he  cried;  "you've  got  off  light, 
for  there's  not  a  scratch  on  your  lily-white  cheek,  and 
the  blood-letting  from  the  nose  will  clear  out  the  dregs 
of  Moro's  hocus," 

I  blinked  a  little,  and  tried  to  recall  what  had  hap- 
pened. All  my  ill-humour  had  gone,  and  I  was  now  in 
a  hurry  to  set  myself  right  with  my  conscience.  He 
heard  my  apology  with  an  embarrassed  face. 

"Say  no  more,  Andrew.  I  was  as  muckle  to  blame 
as  you,  and  I've  been  giving  myself  some  ill  names  for 
that  last  trick.  It  was  ower  hard,  but,  man,  the  temp- 
tation was  sore." 

He  elbowed  me  to  the  open  air. 

"Now  for  the  questions  you've  a  right  to  ask.  We 
of  the  Brethren  have  not  precisely  a  chief,  as  you  call 
it,  but  there  are  not  many  of  them  would  gainsay  my 
word.  Why?  you  ask.  Well,  it's  not  for  a  modest 
man  to  be  sounding  his  own  trumpet.  Maybe  it's  be- 
cause I'm  a  gentleman,  and  there's  that  in  good  blood 
which  awes  the  commonalty.  Maybe  it's  because  I've 
no  fish  of  my  own  to  fry.  I  do  not  rob  for  greed, 
like  Calvert  and  Williams,  or  kill  for  lust,  like  the  de- 
parted Cosh.  To  me  it's  a  game,  which  I  play  by 
honest  rules.    I  never  laid  finger  on  a  bodle's  worth  of 

ii8 


VARIOUS  DOINGS  IN  THE  SAVANNAH 

English  stuff,  and  If  now  and  then  I  ease  the  Dons  of 
a  pickle  silver  or  send  a  Frenchman  or  two  to  purga- 
tory, what  worse  am  I  doing  than  His  Majesty's  troops 
in  Flanders,  or  your  black  frigates  that  lie  off  Port 
Royal?  If  I've  a  clear  conscience  I  can  more  easily 
take  order  with  those  that  are  less  single-minded.  But 
maybe  the  chief  reason  is  that  I've  some  little  skill  of 
arms,  so  that  the  lad  that  questions  me  Is  apt  to  fare 
like  Cosh." 

There  was  a  kind  of  boastful  sincerity  about  the 
man  which  convinced  me.  But  his  words  put  me  in 
mind  of  my  own  business. 

"I  came  seeking  you  to  ask  help.  Your  friends  have 
been  making  too  free  with  my  belongings.  I  would 
never  complain  if  it  were  the  common  risk  of  my  trade, 
but  I  have  a  notion  that  there's  some  sort  of  design 
behind  it."  Then  I  told  him  of  my  strife  with  the  Eng- 
lish merchants. 

"What  are  your  losses?"  he  asked. 

"The  Ayr  brig  was  taken  off  Cape  Charles,  and 
burned  to  the  water.  God  help  the  poor  souls  in  her, 
for  I  fear  they  perished." 

He  nodded.  "I  know.  That  was  one  of  Cosh's  ex- 
ploits.   He  has  paid  by  now  for  that  and  other  things." 

"Two  of  my  ships  were  chased  through  the  Capes 
and  far  up  the  Tidewater  of  the  James  not  two  months 
back,"  I  went  on. 

He  laughed.     "I  did  that  myself,"  he  said. 

Astonishment  and  wrath  filled  me,  but  I  finished  my 
tale. 

"A  week  ago  there  was  a  ship  ashore  on  Accomac. 

119 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

Pirates  boarded  her,  but  they  took  nothing  away  save 
a  sum  of  gold  that  was  mine.  Was  that  your  doing 
also,  Mr.  Campbell?" 

"Yes,"  he  said;  "but  the  money's  safe.  Til  give  you 
a  line  to  Mercer,  and  he'll  pay  it  you." 

"I'm  much  obliged  to  you,  Mr.  Campbell,"  I  said, 
choking  with  anger.  "But  who,  in  Heaven's  name, 
asked  you  to  manage  my  business?  I  thought  you  were 
my  friend,  and  I  came  to  you  as  such,  and  here  I  find 
you  the  chief  among  my  enemies." 

"Patience,  Andrew,"  he  said,  "and  Til  explain 
everything,  for  I  grant  you  it  needs  some  explaining. 
First,  you  are  right  about  the  English  merchants.  They 
and  the  Free  Companions  have  long  had  an  under- 
standing, and  word  was  sent  by  them  to  play  tricks  on 
your  ships.  I  was  absent  at  the  time,  and  though  the 
thing  was  dirty  work,  as  any  one  could  see,  some  of 
the  fools  thought  it  a  fair  play,  and  Cosh  was  suffered 
to  do  his  will.  When  I  got  back  I  heard  the  story,  and 
was  black  angry,  so  I  took  the  matter  into  my  own 
keeping.  I  have  ways  and  means  of  getting  the  news 
of  Virginia,  and  I  know  pretty  well  what  you  have 
been  doing,  young  one.  There's  spirit  in  you  and  some 
wise  notions,  but  you  want  help  in  the  game.  Besides, 
there's  a  bigger  thing  before  you.  So  I  took  steps 
to  bring  you  here." 

"You  took  a  roundabout  road,"  said  I,  by  no  means 
appeased. 

"It  had  to  be.  D'you  think  I  could  come  marching 
into  James  Town  and  collogue  with  you  in  your  count- 
ing-house?   Now  that  you're  here,  you  have  my  sworn 

I20 


VARIOUS  DOINGS  IN  THE  SAVANNAH 

word  that  the  Fi-ee  Companoins  will  never  lay- 
hand  again  on  your  ventures.  Will  that  content 
you?" 

"It  will,"  I  said;  "but  you  spoke  of  a  bigger  thing 
before  me." 

"Yes,  and  that's  the  price  you  are  going  to  pay  me 
for  my  goodwill.  It's  what  the  lawyers  call  consid- 
eratio  for  our  bargain,  and  it's  the  reason  I  brought 
you  here.  Tell  me,  Andrew,  d'you  ken  a  man  Frew 
who  lives  on  the  South  Fork  River?" 

"A  North  Ireland  fellow,  with  a  hatchet  face  and  a 
big  scar?     I  saw  him  a  year  ago." 

"It  stuck  in  my  mind  that  you  had.  And  d'you  mind 
the  advice  he  gave  you?" 

I  remembered  it  very  well,  for  It  was  Frew  who  had 
clinched  my  views  on  the  defencelessness  of  our  West. 
"He  spoke  God's  truth,"  I  said,  "but  I  cannot  get  a 
Virginian  to  believe  it." 

"They'll  believe  In  time,"  he  said,  "though  maybe 
too  late  to  save  some  of  their  scalps.  Come  to  this  hil- 
lock, and  I  will  show  you  something." 

From  the  low  swell  of  ground  we  looked  west  to 
some  little  hills,  and  in  the  hollow  of  them  a  spire  of 
smoke  rose  Into  the  blue. 

"I'm  going  to  take  you  there,  that  you  may  hear  and 
see  something  to  your  profit.  Quick,  Moro,"  he  cried 
to  a  servant.  "Bring  food,  and  have  the  horses  sad- 
dled." 

We  breakfasted  on  some  very  good  beefsteaks,  and 
started  at  a  canter  for  the  hills.  My  headache  had 
gone,  and  I  was  now  In  a  contented  frame  of  mind; 

121 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

for  I  saw  the  purpose  of  my  errand  accomplished,  and 
I  had  a  young  man's  eagerness  to  know  what  lay  be- 
fore me.    As  we  rode  Ringan  talked. 

"You'll  have  heard  tell  of  Bacon's  rising  in  '76? 
Governor  Berkeley  had  ridd^^n  the  dominion  with  too 
harsh  a  hand,  and  in  the  matter  of  its  defence  against 
the  Indians  he  was  slack  when  he  should  have  been 
tight.  The  upshot  was  that  Nathaniel  Bacon  took  up 
the  job  himself,  and  after  giving  the  Indians  their  les- 
son, turned  his  mind  to  the  government  of  Virginia. 
He  drove  Berkeley  into  Accomac,  and  would  have 
turned  the  whole  place  tapsalteery  if  he  had  not  sud- 
denly died  of  a  bowel  complaint.  After  that  Berkeley 
and  his  tame  planters  got  the  upper  hand,  and  there 
were  some  pretty  hornings  and  hangings.  There  were 
two  men  that  were  lieutenants  to  Bacon,  and  maybe 
put  the  notion  into  his  head.  One  was  James  Drum- 
mond,  a  cousin  of  my  own  mother's,  and  he  got  the 
gallows  for  his  trouble.  The  other  was  a  man  Richard 
Lawrence,  a  fine  scholar,  and  a  grand  hand  at  planning, 
though  a  little  slow  in  a  fight.  He  kept  the  ordinary 
at  James  Town,  and  was  the  one  that  collected  the 
powder  and  kindled  the  fuse.  Governor  Berkeley 
had  a  long  score  to  settle  with  him,  but  he  never  got 
him,  for  when  the  thing  was  past  hope  Mr.  Richard 
rode  west  one  snowy  night  to  the  hills,  and  Virginia 
saw  him  no  more.  They  think  he  starved  in  the  wilder- 
ness, or  got  into  the  hands  of  the  wild  Indians,  and  is 
long  ago  dead." 

I  knew  all  about  Dick  Lawrence,  for  I  had  heard 
the  tale  twenty  times.     "But  surely  they're  right,"  I 

122 


VARIOUS  DOINGS  IN  THE  SAVANNAH 

said.     "It's  fifteen  years  since  any  man  had  word  of 
him." 

"Well,  you'll  see  him  within  an  hour,"  said  Ringan. 
"It's  a  queer  story,  but  it  seems  he  fell  in  with  a 
Monacan  war  party,  and  since  he  and  Bacon  had  been 
fighting  their  deadly  foes,  the  Susquehannocks,  they 
treated  him  well,  and  brought  him  south  into  Caro- 
lina. You  must  know,  Andrew,  that  all  this  land  here- 
aways,  except  for  the  little  Algonquin  villages  on  the 
shore,  is  Sioux  country,  with  as  many  tribes  as  there 
are  houses  in  Clan  Campbell.  But  cheek  by  jowl  is 
a  long  strip  held  by  the  Tuscaroras,  a  murdering  lot 
of  devils,  of  whom  you  and  I'll  get  news  sooner  than 
we  want.  The  Tuscaroras  are  bad  enough  in  them- 
selves, but  the  worst  part  is  that  all  the  back  country 
in  the  hills  belongs  to  their  cousins  the  Cherokees,  and 
God  knows  how  far  north  their  sway  holds.  The 
Long  House  of  the  Iroquois  controls  everything  west 
of  the  coast  land  from  Carolina  away  up  through  Vir- 
ginia to  New  York  and  the  Canadas.  That  means 
that  Virginia  has  on  two  sides  the  most  powerful  tribes 
of  savages  in  the  world,  and  if  ever  the  Iroquois  found 
a  general  and  made  a  common  attack  things  would  go 
ill  with  the  Tidewater.  I  tell  you  that  so  that  you 
can  understand  Lawrence's  doings.  He  hates  the  Iro- 
quois like  hell,  and  so  he  likes  their  enemies.  He  has 
lived  for  fifteen  years  among  the  Sioux,  whiles  with 
the  Catawbas,  whiles  with  the  Manahoacs,  but  mostly 
with  the  Monacans.  We  of  the  Free  Companions  see 
him  pretty  often,  and  bring  him  the  news  and  little 
comforts,  like  good  tobacco  and  eau  de  vie,  that  he 

123 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

cannot  get  among  savages.  And  we  carry  messages 
between  him  and  the  Tidewater,  for  he  has  many 
friends  still  alive  there.  There's  no  man  ever  had 
his  knowledge  of  Indians,  and  I'm  taking  you  to  him, 
for  he  has  something  to  tell  you." 

By  this  time  we  had  come  to  a  place  where  a  fair- 
sized  burn  issued  from  a  shallow  glen  in  the  savannah. 
There  was  a  peeled  wand  stuck  in  a  burnt  tree  above 
the  water,  and  this  Ringan  took  and  broke  very  care- 
fully into  two  equal  pieces,  and  put  them  back  in  the 
hole.  From  this  point  onwards  I  had  the  feeling  that 
the  long  grass  and  the  clumps  of  bushes  held  watchers. 
They  made  no  noise,  but  I  could  have  sworn  to  the 
truth  of  my  notion.  Ringan,  whose  senses  were 
keener  than  mine,  would  stop  every  now  and  again  and 
raise  his  hand  as  if  in  signal.  At  one  place  we  halted 
dead  for  five  minutes,  and  at  another  he  dismounted 
and  cut  a  tuft  of  sumach,  which  he  laid  over  his  saddle. 
Then  at  the  edge  of  a  thicket  he  stopped  again,  and 
held  up  both  hands  above  his  head.  Instantly  a  tall 
Indian  stepped  from  the  cover,  saluted,  and  walked  by 
our  side.  In  five  minutes  more  we  rounded  a  creek 
of  the  burn  and  were  at  the  encampment. 

'Twas  the  first  time  I  had  ever  seen  an  Indian  vil- 
lage. The  tents,  or  teepees,  were  of  skins  stretched 
over  poles,  and  not  of  bark,  like  those  of  the  woodland 
tribes.  At  a  great  fire  in  the  centre  women  were  grill- 
ing deer's  flesh,  while  little  brown  children  strove  and 
quarrelled  for  scraps.  I  saw  few  men,  for  the  braves 
were  out  hunting  or  keeping  watch  at  the  approaches. 
One  young  lad  took  the  horses,  and  led  us  to  a  teepee 

124 


VARIOUS  DOINGS  IN  THE  SAVANNAH 

bigger  than  the  others,  outside  of  which  stood  a  finely- 
made  savage,  with  heron's  feathers  in  his  hair,  and  a 
necklace  of  polished  shells.  On  his  iron  face  there 
was  no  flicker  of  welcome  or  recognition,  but  he  shook 
hands  silently  with  the  two  of  us,  and  struck  a  blow 
on  a  dry  gourd.  Instantly  three  warriors  appeared, 
and  took  their  place  by  his  side.  Then  all  of  us  sat 
down  and  a  pipe  was  lit  and  handed  by  the  chief  to 
Ringan.  He  took  a  puff  and  gave  it  to  one  of  the 
other  Indians,  who  handed  it  to  me.  With  that  cere- 
mony over,  the  tongue  of  the  chief  seemed  to  be  un- 
loosed. "The  Sachem  comes,"  he  said,  and  an  old 
man  sat  himself  down  beside  us. 

He  was  a  strange  figure  to  meet  in  an  Indian  camp. 
A  long  white  beard  hung  down  to  his  middle,  and  his 
unshorn  hair  draped  his  shoulders  like  a  fleece.  His 
clothing  was  of  tanned  skin,  save  that  he  had  a  belt 
of  Spanish  leather,  and  on  his  feet  he  wore  country 
shoes  and  not  the  Indian  moccasins.  The  eyes  in  his 
head  were  keen  and  youthful,  and  though  he  could 
not  have  been  less  than  sixty  he  carried  himself  with 
the  vigour  of  a  man  in  his  prime.  Below  his  shaggy 
locks  was  a  high,  broad  forehead,  such  as  some  col- 
lege professor  might  have  borne  who  had  given  all 
his  days  to  the  philosophies.  He  seemed  to  have  been 
disturbed  in  reading,  for  he  carried  in  his  hand  a  little 
book  with  a  finger  marking  his  place.  I  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  title,  and  saw  that  it  was  Mr.  Locke's 
new  "Essay  on  the  Human  Understanding." 

Ringan  spoke  to  the  chief  in  his  own  tongue,  but  the 
Sioux    language    was    beyond    me.       Mr.    Lawrence 

125 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

joined  in,  and  I  saw  the  Indian's  eyes  kindle.  He 
shook  his  head,  and  seemed  to  deny  something.  Then 
he  poured  forth  a  flood  of  talk,  and  when  he  had 
finished  Ringan  spoke  to  me. 

"He  says  that  the  Tuscaroras  are  stirring.  Word 
has  come  down  from  the  hills  to  be  ready  for  a  great 
ride  between  the  Moon  of  Stags  and  the  Corngath- 
ermg. 

Lawrence  nodded.  "That's  an  old  Tuscarora  habit; 
but  somehow  these  ridings  never  happen."  He  said 
something  in  Sioux  to  one  of  the  warriors,  and  got 
an  emphatic  answer,  which  he  translated  to  me.  "He 
thinks  that  the  Cherokees  have  had  word  from  farther 
north.  It  looks  like  a  general  stirring  of  the  Long 
House." 

"Is  it  the  fighting  in  Canada?"  I  asked. 

"God  knows,"  he  said,  "but  I  don't  think  so.  If 
that  were  the  cause  we  should  have  the  Iroquois  pushed 
down  on  the  top  of  the  Cherokees.  But  my  informa- 
tion is  that  the  Cherokees  are  to  move  north  them- 
selves, and  then  down  to  the  Tidewater.  It  is  not  likely 
that  the  Five  Nations  have  any  plan  of  conquering  the 
lowlands.  They're  a  hill  people,  and  they  know  the 
white  man's  mettle  too  well.  My  notion  is  that  some 
devilry  is  going  on  in  the  West,  and  I  might  guess 
that  there's  a  white  man  in  it."  He  spoke  to  the  chief, 
who  spoke  again  to  his  companion,  and  Lawrence 
listened  with  contracting  brows,  while  Ringan  whistled 
between  his  teeth. 

"They've  got  a  queer  story,"  said  Lawrence  at  last. 
"They  say  that  when  last  they  hunted  on  the  Roanoke 

126 


VARIOUS  DOINGS  IN  THE  SAVANNAH 

their  young  men  brought  a  tale  that  a  tribe  of  Chero- 
kees,  who  lived  six  days'  journey  into  the  hills,  had 
found  a  great  Sachem  who  had  the  white  man's  magic, 
and  that  God  was  moving  him  to  drive  out  the  pale- 
faces and  hold  his  hunting  lodge  in  their  dwellings. 
That  is  not  like  an  ordinary  Indian  lie.  What  do  you 
make  of  it,  Mr.  Campbell?" 

Ringan  looked  grave.  "It's  possible  enough. 
There's  a  heap  of  renegades  among  the  tribes,  men 
that  have  made  the  Tidewater  and  even  the  Free  Com- 
panies too  warm  for  them.  There's  no  knowing  the 
mischief  a  strong-minded  rascal  might  work.  I  mind  a 
man  at  Norfolk,  a  Scots  redemptioner,  who  had  the 
tongue  of  a  devil  and  the  strength  of  a  wolf.  He 
broke  out  one  night  and  got  clear  into  the  wilderness." 

Lawrence  turned  to  me  briskly.  "You  see  the  case, 
sir.  There's  trouble  brewing  in  the  hills,  black  trouble 
for  Virginia,  but  we've  some  months'  breathing  space. 
For  Nat  Bacon's  sake,  I'm  loath  to  see  the  war  paint 
at  James  Town.  The  question  is,  Are  you  willing  to 
do  your  share?" 

"I'm  willing  enough,"  I  said,  "but  what  can  I  do? 
I'm  not  exactly  a  popular  character  in  the  Tidewater. 
If  you  want  me  to  hammer  sense  into  the  planters,  you 
could  not  get  a  worse  man  for  the  job.  I  have  told 
Governor  Nicholson  my  fears,  and  he  is  of  my  opin- 
ion, but  his  hands  are  tied  by  a  penurious  Council.  If 
he  cannot  screw  money  for  troops  out  of  the  Virgin- 
ians, it's  not  likely  that  I  could  do  much." 

Lawrence  nodded  his  wise  head.  "All  you  say  is 
true,  but  I  want  a  different  kind  of  service  from  you. 

127 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

You  may  have  noticed  in  your  travels,  Mr.  Garvald— 
for  they  tell  me  you  are  not  often  out  of  the  saddle — 
that  up  and  down  the  land  there's  a  good  few  folk 
that  are  not  very  easy  in  their  minds.  Many  of  these 
are  former  troopers  of  Bacorx,  some  are  new  men  who 
have  eyes  in  their  heads,  some  are  old  settlers  who 
have  been  soured  by  the  folly  of  the  Government. 
With  such  poor  means  as  I  possess  I  keep  in  touch  with 
these  gentlemen,  and  in  them  we  have  the  rudiments 
of  a  frontier  army.  I  don't  say  they  are  many;  but 
five  hundred  resolute  fellows,  well  horsed  and  well 
armed,  and  led  by  some  man  who  knows  the  Indian 
ways,  might  be  a  stumbling-block  in  the  way  of  an 
Iroquois  raid.  But  to  perfect  this  force  needs  time, 
and,  above  all,  it  needs  a  man  on  the  spot;  for  Vir- 
ginia is  not  a  healthy  place  for  me,  and  these  savan- 
nahs are  a  trifle  distant.  I  want  a  man  in  James  Town 
who  will  receive  word  when  I  send  it,  and  pass  it  on 
to  those  who  should  hear  it.  I  want  a  discreet  man, 
whose  trade  takes  him  about  the  country.  Mr.  Camp- 
bell tells  me  you  are  such  an  one.  Will  you  accept 
the  charge?" 

I  was  greatly  flattered,  but  a  little  perplexed.  "I'm 
a  law-abiding  citizen,"  I  said,  "and  I  can  have  no  hand 
in  rebellions.  I've  no  ambition  to  play  Bacon's 
part." 

Lawrence  smiled.  "A  proof  of  your  discretion, 
sir.  But  believe  me,  there  is  no  thought  of  rebellion. 
We  have  no  quarrel  with  the  Council  and  less  with 
His  Majesty's  Governor.  We  but  seek  to  set  the  house 
in  order  against  perils  which  we  alone  know  fully.     I 

128 


VARIOUS  DOINGS  IN  THE  SAVANNAH 

approve  of  your  scruples,  and  I  give  you  my  word  they 
shall  not  be  violated." 

"So  be  it,"  I  said.     "I  will  do  what  I  can." 

"God  be  praised,"  said  Mr.  Lawrence.  "I  have 
here  certain  secret  papers  which  will  give  you  the 
names  of  the  men  we  can  trust.  Messages  will  come 
to  you,  which  I  trust  you  to  find  the  means  of  send- 
ing on.  Mercer  has  our  confidence,  and  will  arrange 
with  you  certain  matters  of  arms.  He  will  also  supply 
you  with  what  money  is  needed.  There  are  many  in 
the  Tidewater  who  would  look  askance  at  this  busi- 
ness, so  it  must  be  done  in  desperate  secrecy;  but  if 
there  should  be  trouble  I  counsel  you  to  play  a  bold 
hand  with  the  Governor.  They  tell  me  that  you  and 
he  are  friendly,  and,  unless  I  mistake  the  man,  he  can 
see  reason  if  he  is  wisely  handled.  If  the  worst  comes 
to  the  worst,  you  can  take  Nicholson  into  your  con- 
fidence." 

"How  long  have  we  to  prepare?"  I  asked. 

"The  summer  months,  according  to  my  forecast.  It 
may  be  shorter  or  longer,  but  I  will  know  better  when 
I  get  nearer  the  hills." 

"And  what  about  the  Carolina  tribes?"  I  asked. 
"If  we  are  to  hold  the  western  marches  of  Virginia, 
we  cannot  risk  being  caught  on  the  flank." 

"That  can  be  arranged,"  he  said.  "Our  friends  the 
Sioux  are  not  over-fond  of  the  Long  House.  If  the 
Tuscaroras  ride,  I  do  not  think  they  will  ever  reach 
the  James." 

The  afternoon  was  now  ending,  and  we  were  given 
a  meal  of  corn-cakes  and  roast  deer's  flesh.     Then  we 

129 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

took  our  leave,  and  Mr.  Lawrence's  last  word  to  me 
was  to  send  him  any  English  books  of  a  serious  cast 
which  came  under  my  eye.  This  request  he  made  with 
so  much  hesitation,  but  with  so  hungry  a  desire  in  his 
face  that  I  was  moved  to  pity  this  ill-fated  scholar, 
wandering  in  Indian  lodges,  and  famished  for  lack 
of  the  society  of  his  kind. 

Ringan  took  me  by  a  new  way  which  bore  north  of 
that  we  had  ridden,  and  though  the  dusk  began  soon 
to  fall,  he  never  faltered  in  his  guiding.  Presently  we 
left  the  savannah  for  the  woods  of  the  coast,  and, 
dropping  down  hill  by  a  very  meagre  path,  we  came 
in  three  hours  to  a  creek  of  the  sea.  There  by  a  little 
iire  we  found  Shalah,  and  the  sloop  riding  at  anchor 
below  a  thick  covert  of  trees. 

"Good-bye  to  you,  Andrew,"  cried  Ringan.  "You'll 
be  getting  news  of  me  soon,  and  maybe  see  me  in  the 
flesh  on  the  Tidewater.  Remember  the  word  I  told 
you  in  the  Saltmarket,  for  I  never  mention  names  when 
I  take  the  road." 


CHAPTER  X 

I  HEAR  AN  OLD  SONG 

WHEN  we  sailed  at  daybreak  next  morning  I  had 
the  glow  of  satisfaction  with  my  own  doings 
which  is  a  safe  precursor  of  misfortunes.  I  had  settled 
my  business  with  the  Free  Companions,  and  need  look 
for  no  more  trouble  on  that  score.  But  what  tickled 
my  vanity  was  my  talk  with  Ringan  and  Lawrence  at 
the  Monacan  lodge  and  the  momentous  trust  they  had 
laid  on  me.  With  a  young  man's  vanity,  I  saw  my- 
self the  saviour  of  Virginia,  and  hailed  as  such  by  the 
proud  folk  who  now  scorned  me.  My  only  merits, 
as  I  was  to  learn  in  time,  are  a  certain  grasp  of  simple 
truths  that  elude  cleverer  men,  and  a  desperate  obsti- 
nacy which  is  reluctant  to  admit  defeat.  But  it  is 
the  fashion  of  youth  to  glory  in  what  It  lacks,  and  I 
flattered  myself  that  I  had  a  natural  gift  for  finesse 
and  subtlety,  and  was  a  born  deviser  of  wars.  Again 
and  again  I  told  myself  how  I  and  Lawrence's  Vir- 
ginians— grown  under  my  hand  to  a  potent  army — 
should  roll  back  the  invaders  to  the  hills  and  beyond, 
while  the  Sioux  of  the  Carollnas  guarded  one  flank 
and  the  streams  of  the  Potomac  the  other.  In  those 
days  the  star  of  the  great  Marlborough  had  not  risen; 
but  John  Churchill,  the  victor  of  Blenheim,  did  not 

131 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

esteem  himself  a  wiser  strategist  than  the  raw  lad 
Andrew  Garvald,  now  sailing  north  in  the  long  wash 
of  the  Atlantic  seas. 

The  weather  grew  spiteful,  and  we  were  much  buf- 
feted about  by  the  contrary  spring  winds,  so  that  it 
was  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day  that  we 
turned  Cape  Henry  and  came  into  the  Bay  of  Chesa- 
peake. Here  a  perfect  hurricane  fell  upon  us,  and 
we  sought  refuge  in  a  creek  on  the  shore  of  Norfolk 
county.  The  place  was  marshy,  and  it  was  hard  to 
find  dry  land  for  our  night's  lodging.  Our  provisions 
had  run  low,  and  there  seemed  little  enough  for  two 
hungry  men  who  had  all  day  been  striving  with  salt 
winds.  So,  knowing  that  this  was  a  neighbourhood 
studded  with  great  manors,  and  remembering  the  hos- 
pitality I  had  so  often  found,  I  left  Shalah  by  the 
fire  with  such  food  as  remained,  and  set  out  with  our 
lantern  through  the  woods  to  look  for  a  human  hab- 
itation. 

I  found  one  quicker  than  I  had  hoped.  Almost  at 
once  I  came  on  a  track  which  led  me  into  a  carriage- 
road  and  out  of  the  thickets  to  a  big  clearing.  The 
daylight  had  not  yet  wholly  gone,  and  it  guided  me 
to  two  gateposts,  from  which  an  avenue  of  chestnut 
trees  led  up  to  a  great  house.  There  were  lights  glim- 
mering in  the  windows,  and  when  I  reached  the  yard 
and  saw  the  size  of  the  barns  and  outbuildings,  I  wished 
I  had  happened  on  a  place  of  less  pretensions.  But 
hunger  made  me  bold,  and  I  tramped  over  the  mown 
grass  of  the  yard,  which  in  the  dusk  I  could  see  to  be 
set  with  flower-beds,  till  I  stood  before  the  door  of 

132 


I  HEAR  AN  OLD  SONG 

as  fine  a  mansion  as  I  had  found  in  the  dominion. 
From  within  came  a  sound  of  speech  and  laughter,  and 
I  was  in  half  a  mind  to  turn  back  to  my  cold  quarters 
by  the  shore.  I  had  no  sooner  struck  the  knocker  than 
I  wanted  to  run  away. 

The  door  was  opened  instantly  by  a  tall  negro  in  a 
scarlet  livery.  He  asked  no  questions,  but  motioned 
me  to  enter  as  if  I  had  been  an  invited  guest.  I  fol- 
lowed him,  wondering  dolefully  what  sort  of  figure  I 
must  cut  in  my  plain  clothes  soaked  and  stained  by 
travel;  for  it  was  clear  that  I  had  lighted  on  the  man- 
sion of  some  rich  planter,  who  was  even  now  enter- 
taining his  friends.  The  servant  led  me  through  an 
outer  hall  into  a  great  room  full  of  people.  A  few 
candles  in  tall  candlesticks  burned  down  the  length  of 
a  table,  round  which  sat  a  score  of  gentlemen.  The 
scarlet  negro  went  to  the  table-head,  and  said  some- 
thing to  the  master,  who  rose  and  came  to  meet  me. 

"I  am  storm-stayed,"  I  said  humbly,  "and  I  left  my 
boat  on  the  shore  and  came  inland  to  look  for  a 
supper." 

"You  shall  get  it,"  he  said  heartily.  "Sit  down,  and 
my  servants  will  bring  you  what  you  need." 

"But  I  am  not  fit  to  intrude,  sir.  A  weary  traveller 
is  no  guest  for  such  a  table." 

"Tush,  man,"  he  cried,  "when  did  a  Virginian  think 
the  worse  of  a  man  for  his  clothes?  Sit  down  and 
say  no  more.     You  are  heartily  welcome." 

He  pushed  me  into  a  vacant  chair  at  the  bottom  of 
the  table,  and  gave  some  orders  to  the  negro.  Now  I 
knew  where  I  was,  for  I  had  seen  before  the  noble 

133 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

figure  of  my  host.  This  was  Colonel  Beverley,  who 
in  his  youth  had  ridden  with  Prince  Rupert,  and  had 
come  to  Virginia  long  ago  in  the  Commonwealth  time. 
He  sat  on  the  Council,  and  was  the  most  respected  of 
all  the  magnates  of  the  dominion,  for  he  had  restrained 
the  folly  of  successive  Governors,  and  had  ever  been 
ready  to  stand  forth  alike  on  behalf  of  the  liberties 
of  the  settlers  and  their  duties  to  the  Crown.  His 
name  was  highly  esteemed  at  Whitehall,  and  more  than 
once  he  had  occupied  the  Governor's  place  when  His 
Majesty  was  slow  in  filling  it.  His  riches  were  large, 
but  he  was  above  all  things  a  great  gentleman,  who 
had  grafted  on  an  old  proud  stock  the  tolerance  and 
vigour  of  a  new  land. 

The  company  had  finished  dining,  for  the  table  was 
covered  with  fruits  and  comfits,  and  wine  in  silver  gob- 
lets. There  was  sack  and  madeira,  and  French  claret, 
and  white  Rhenish,  and  ale  and  cider  for  those  with 
homelier  palates,  I  saw  dimly  around  me  the  faces 
of  the  guests,  for  the  few  candles  scarcely  illumined 
the  dusk  of  the  great  panelled  hall  hung  with  dark  por- 
traits. One  man  gave  me  good-evening,  but  as  I  sat 
at  the  extreme  end  of  the  table  I  was  out  of  the  circle 
of  the  company.  They  talked  and  laughed,  and  it 
seemed  to  me  that  I  could  hear  women's  voices  at  the 
other  end.  Meantime  I  was  busy  with  my  viands,  and 
no  man  ever  punished  a  venison  pie  more  heartily.  As 
I  ate  and  drank,  I  smiled  at  the  strangeness  of  my  for- 
tunes— to  come  thus  straight  from  the  wild  seas  and 
the  company  of  outlaws  into  a  place  of  silver  and 
damask  and  satin  coats  and  lace  cravats  and  orderly 

134 


I  HEAR  AN  OLD  SONG 

wigs.  The  soft  hum  of  gentlefolks'  speech  was  all 
around  me,  those  smooth  Virginian  voices  compared 
with  which  my  Scots  tongue  was  as  strident  as  a  raven's. 
But  as  I  listened,  I  remembered  Ringan  and  Law- 
rence, and,  "Ah,  my  silken  friends,"  thought  I,  "little 
you  know  the  judgment  that  is  preparing.  Some  day 
soon,  unless  God  is  kind,  there  will  be  blood  on  the 
lace  and  the  war-whoop  in  these  pleasant  chambers." 

Then  a  voice  said  louder  than  the  rest,  "Dulcinea 
will  sing  to  us.  She  promised  this  morning  in  the 
garden." 

At  this  there  was  a  ripple  of  "Bravas,"  and  pres- 
ently I  heard  the  tuning  of  a  lute.  The  low  twanging 
went  on  for  a  little,  and  suddenly  I  was  seized  with  a 
presentiment.  I  set  down  my  tankard,  and  waited 
with  my  heart  in  my  mouth. 

Very  clear  and  pure  the  voice  rose,  as  fresh  as  the 
morning  song  of  birds.  There  was  youth  in  it,  and 
joy  and  pride — joy  of  the  fairness  of  the  earth,  pride 
of  beauty  and  race  and  strength.  "My  dear  and  only 
love"  it  sang,  as  it  had  sung  before;  but  then  it  had 
been  a  girl's  hope,  and  now  it  was  a  woman's  cer- 
tainty. At  the  first  note,  the  past  came  back  to  me 
like  yesterday.  I  saw  the  moorland  gables  in  the  rain, 
I  heard  the  swirl  of  the  tempest,  I  saw  the  elfin  face 
in  the  hood  which  had  cheered  the  traveller  on  his 
way.  In  that  dim  light  I  could  not  see  the  singer,  but 
I  needed  no  vision.  The  strangeness  of  the  thing 
clutched  at  my  heart,  for  here  was  the  voice  which  had 
never  been  out  of  my  ears  singing  again  in  a  land 
far  from  the  wet  heather  and  the  driving  mists  of  home. 

135 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

As  I  sat  dazed  and  dreaming,  I  knew  that  a  great 
thing  had  befallen  me.  For  me,  Andrew  Garvald,  the 
prosaic  trader,  coming  out  of  the  darkness  into  this 
strange  company,  the  foundations  of  the  world  had 
been  upset.  All  my  cares  and  hopes,  my  gains  and 
losses,  seemed  in  that  moment  no  better  than  dust. 
Love  had  come  to  me  like  a  hurricane.  From  now  I 
had  but  the  one  ambition,  to  hear  that  voice  say  to  me 
and  to  mean  it  truly,  "My  dear  and  only  love."  I  knew 
it  was  folly  and  a  madman's  dream,  for  I  felt  most 
deeply  my  common  clay.  What  had  I  to  offer  for  the 
heart  of  that  proud  lady?  A  dingy  and  battered  mer- 
chant might  as  well  enter  a  court  of  steel-clad  heroes 
and  contend  for  the  love  of  a  queen.  But  I  was  not 
downcast.  I  do  not  think  I  even  wanted  to  hope.  It 
was  enough  to  know  that  so  bright  a  thing  was  in  the 
world,  for  at  one  stroke  my  drab  horizon  seemed  to 
have  broadened  into  the  infinite  heavens. 

The  song  ended  in  another  chorus  of  "Bravas." 
"Bring  twenty  candles,  Pompey,"  my  host  called  out, 
"and  the  great  punch-bowl.  We  will  pledge  my  lady 
In  the  old  Beverley  brew." 

Servants  set  on  the  table  a  massive  silver  dish,  into 
which  sundry  bottles  of  wine  and  spirits  were  poured. 
A  mass  of  cut  fruit  and  sugar  was  added,  and  the  whole 
was  set  alight,  and  leaped  almost  to  the  ceiling  in  a  blue 
flame.  Colonel  Beverley,  with  a  long  ladle,  filled  the 
array  of  glasses  on  a  salver,  which  the  servants  carried 
round  to  the  guests.  Large  branching  candelabra  had 
meantime  been  placed  on  the  table,  and  in  a  glow  of 
light  we  stood  to  our  feet  and  honoured  the  toast. 

136 


I  HEAR  AN  OLD  SONG 

As  I  stood  up  and  looked  to  the  table's  end,  I  saw  the 
dark,  restless  eyes  and  the  heavy  blue  jowl  of  Governor 
Nicholson.  He  saw  me,  for  I  was  alone  at  the  bottom 
end,  and  when  we  were  seated,  he  cried  out  to  me, — 

"What  news  of  trade,  Mr.  Garvald?  You're  an 
active  packman,  for  they  tell  me  you're  never  off  the 
road." 

At  the  mention  of  my  name  every  eye  turned  towards 
me,  and  I  felt,  rather  than  saw,  the  disfavour  of  the 
looks.  No  doubt  they  resented  a  storekeeper's  intru- 
sion into  well-bred  company,  and  some  were  there  who 
had  publicly  cursed  me  for  a  meddlesome  upstart.  But 
I  was  not  looking  their  way,  but  at  the  girl  who  sat  on 
my  host's  right  hand,  and  in  whose  dark  eyes  I  thought 
I  saw  a  spark  of  recognition. 

She  was  clad  in  white  satin,  and  in  her  hair  and 
bosom  spring  flowers  had  been  set.  Her  little  hand 
played  with  the  slim  glass,  and  her  eyes  had  all  the 
happy  freedom  of  childhood.  But  now  she  was  a 
grown  woman,  with  a  woman's  pride  and  knowledge  of 
power.  Her  exquisite  slimness  and  grace,  amid  the 
glow  of  silks  and  silver,  gave  her  the  air  of  a  fairy- 
tale princess.  There  was  a  grave  man  in  black  sat  next 
her,  to  whom  she  bent  to  speak.  Then  she  looked 
towards  me  again,  and  smiled  with  that  witching  mock- 
ery which  had  pricked  my  temper  in  the  Canongate 
Tolbooth. 

The  Governor's  voice  recalled  me  from  my  dreams. 

"How  goes  the  Indian  menace,  Mr.  Garvald?"  he 
cried.  "You  must  know,"  and  he  turned  to  the  com- 
pany, "that  our  friend  combines  commerce  with  high 

-     137 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

policy,  and  shares  my  apprehensions  as  to  the  safety 
of  the  dominion." 

I  could  not  tell  whether  he  was  mocking  at  me  or  not. 
I  think  he  was,  for  Francis  Nicholson's  moods  were  as 
mutable  as  the  tides.  In  every  word  of  his  there  lurked 
some  sour  irony. 

The  company  took  the  speech  for  satire,  and  many 
laughed.  One  young  gentleman,  who  wore  a  purple 
coat  and  a  splendid  brocaded  vest,  laughed  very  loud. 

"A  merchant's  nerves  are  delicate  things,"  he  said, 
as  he  fingered  his  cravat.  "I  would  have  said  'like  a 
woman's,'  had  I  not  seen  this  very  day  Miss  Elspeth's 
horsemanship."    And  he  bowed  to  her  very  neatly. 

Now  I  was  never  fond  of  being  quizzed,  and  in  that 
company  I  could  not  endure  it. 

"We  have  a  saying,  sir,"  I  said,  "that  the  farmyard 
fowl  does  not  fear  the  eagle.  The  men  who  look  grave 
just  now  are  not  those  who  live  snugly  in  coast  manors, 
but  the  outland  folk  who  have  to  keep  their  doors  with 
their  own  hands." 

It  was  a  rude  speech,  and  my  hard  voice  and  com- 
mon clothes  made  it  ruder.  The  gentleman  fired  in  a 
second,  and  with  blazing  eyes  asked  me  if  I  intended 
an  insult.  I  was  about  to  say  that  he  could  take  what 
meaning  he  pleased,  when  an  older  man  broke  in  with, 
"Tush,  Charles,  let  the  fellow  alone.  You  cannot  quar- 
rel with  a  shopman." 

"I  thank  you,  George,  for  a  timely  reminder,"  said 
my  gentleman,  and  he  turned  away  his  head  with  a 
motion  of  sovereign  contempt. 

"Come,  come,  sirs,"   Colonel  Beverley  cried,  "re- 

138 


I  HEAR  AN  OLD  SONG 

member  the  sacred  law  of  hospitality.  You  are  all  my 
guests,  and  you  have  a  lady  here,  whose  bright  eyes 
should  be  a  balm  for  controversies." 

The  Governor  had  sat  with  his  lips  closed  and  his 
eyes  roving  the  table.  He  dearly  loved  a  quarrel,  and 
was  minded  to  use  me  to  bait  those  whom  he  liked 
little. 

"What  is  all  this  talk  about  gentility?"  he  said.  "A 
man  is  as  good  as  his  brains  and  his  right  arm,  and  no 
better.  I  am  of  the  creed  of  the  Levellers,  who  would 
have  a  man  stand  stark  before  his  Maker." 

He  could  not  have  spoken  words  better  calculated  to 
set  the  company  against  me.  My  host  looked  glum  and 
disapproving,  and  all  the  silken  gentlemen  murmured. 
The  Virginian  cavalier  had  as  pretty  a  notion  of  the 
worth  of  descent  as  any  Highland  land-louper.  Indeed, 
to  be  honest,  I  would  have  controverted  the  Governor 
myself,  for  I  have  ever  held  that  good  blood  is  a  mighty 
advantage  to  its  possessor. 

Suddenly  the  grave  man  who  sat  by  Miss  Elspeth's 
side  spoke  up.  By  this  time  I  had  remembered  that  he 
was  Doctor  James  Blair,  the  late  come  commissary  of 
the  diocese  of  London,  who  represented  all  that  Vir- 
ginia had  in  the  way  of  a  bishop.  He  had  a  shrewd, 
kind  face,  like  a  Scots  dominie,  and  a  mouth  that  shut 
as  tight  as  the  Governor's. 

"Your  tongue  proclaims  you  my  countryman,  sir," 
he  said.  "Did  I  hear  right  that  your  name  was  Gar- 
vald?" 

"Of  Auchencairn?"  he  asked,  when  I  had  assented. 

"Of  Auchencairn,  or  what  is  left  of  it,"  I  said. 

139 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

"Then,  gentlemen,"  he  said,  addressing  the  com- 
pany, "I  can  settle  the  dispute  on  the  facts,  without 
questioning  his  Excellency's  dogma.  Mr.  Garvald  is  of 
as  good  blood  as  any  in  Scotland.  And  that,"  said  he 
firmly,  "means  that  in  the  matter  of  birth  he  can  hold 
up  his  head  in  any  company  in  any  Christian  land." 

I  do  not  think  this  speech  made  any  man  there  look 
on  me  with  greater  favour,  but  it  enormously  increased 
my  own  comfort.  I  have  never  felt  such  a  glow  of 
gratitude  as  then  filled  my  heart  to  the  staid  cleric. 
That  he  was  of  near  kin  to  Miss  Elspeth  made  it  ten- 
fold sweeter.  I  forgot  my  old  clothes  and  my  uncouth 
looks;  I  forgot,  too,  my  irritation  with  the  brocaded 
gentleman.  If  her  kin  thought  me  worthy,  I  cared  not 
a  bodle  for  the  rest  of  mankind. 

Presently  we  rose  from  table,  and  Colonel  Beverley 
summoned  us  to  the  Green  Parlour,  where  Miss  Els- 
peth was  brewing  a  dish  of  chocolate,  then  a  new-fan- 
gled luxury  in  the  dominion.  I  would  fain  have  made 
my  escape,  for  if  my  appearance  was  unfit  for  a  dining- 
hall,  it  was  an  outrage  in  a  lady's  withdrawing-room. 
But  Doctor  Blair  came  forward  to  me  and  shook  me 
warmly  by  the  hand,  and  was  full  of  gossip  about 
Clydesdale,  from  which  apparently  he  had  been  absent 
these  twenty  years.  "My  niece  bade  me  bring  you  to 
her,"  he  said.  "She,  poor  child,  is  a  happy  exile,  but 
she  has  now  and  then  an  exile's  longings.  A  Scots 
tongue  is  pleasant  in  her  ear." 

So  I  perforce  had  to  follow  him  into  a  fine  room  with 
an  oaken  floor,  whereon  lay  rich  Smyrna  rugs  and  the 
skins  of  wild  beasts  from  the  wood.    There  was  a  pro- 

140 


I  HEAR  AN  OLD  SONG 

diglous  number  of  soft  couches  of  flowered  damask, 
and  little  tables  inlaid  with  foreign  woods  and  jewel- 
ler's work.  'Twas  well  enough  for  your  fine  gentleman 
in  his  buckled  shoes  and  silk  stockings  to  enter  such  a 
place,  but  for  myself,  in  my  coarse  boots,  I  seemed  like 
a  colt  In  a  flower  garden.  The  girl  sat  by  a  brazier  of 
charcoal,  with  the  scarlet-coated  negro  at  hand  doing 
her  commands.  She  was  so  busy  at  the  chocolate  mak- 
ing that  when  her  uncle  said,  "Elspeth,  I  have  brought 
you  Mr.  Garvald,"  she  had  no  hand  to  give  me.  She 
looked  up  and  smiled,  and  went  on  with  the  business, 
while  I  stood  awkwardly  by,  the  scorn  of  the  assured 
gentlemen  around  me. 

By  and  by  she  spoke :  "You  and  I  seem  fated  to 
meet  in  odd  places.  First  It  was  at  Carnwath  In  the 
rain,  and  then  at  the  Cauldstaneslap  In  a  motley  com- 
pany. Then  I  think  It  was  In  the  Tolbooth,  Mr.  Gar- 
vald, when  you  were  very  gruff  to  your  deliverer.  And 
now  we  are  both  exiles,  and  once  more  you  step  In  like 
a  bogle  out  of  the  night.    Will  you  taste  my  chocolate  ?" 

She  served  me  first,  and  I  could  see  how  little  the 
favour  was  to  the  liking  of  her  little  retinue  of  cour- 
tiers. My  silken  gentleman,  whose  name  was  Grey, 
broke  in  on  us  abrutly. 

"What  Is  this  story,  sir,  of  Indian  dangers?  You 
are  new  to  the  country,  or  you  would  know  that  it  is  the 
old  cry  of  the  landless  and  the  lawless.  Every  out-at- 
elbows  republican  makes  It  a  stick  to  beat  His 
Majesty." 

"Are  you  a  republican,  Mr.  Garvald?"  she  asked. 
"Now  that  I  remember,  I  have  seen  you  in  Whigga- 
more  company." 

141 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

"Why,  no,"  I  said.  "I  do  not  meddle  with  politics. 
I  am  a  merchant,  and  am  well  content  with  any  Gov- 
ment  that  will  protect  my  trade  and  my  person." 

A  sudden  perversity  had  taken  me  to  show  myself 
at  my  most  prosaic  and  unromantic.  I  think  it  was  the 
contrast  with  the  glamour  of  those  fine  gentlemen.  I 
had  neither  claim  nor  desire  to  be  of  their  company, 
and  to  her  I  could  make  no  pretence. 

He  laughed  scornfully.  "Yours  is  a  noble  cause," 
he  said.  "But  you  may  sleep  peacefully  in  your  bed, 
sir.  Be  assured  that  there  are  a  thousand  gentlemen  of 
Virginia  whose  swords  will  leap  from  their  scabbards 
at  a  breath  of  peril,  on  behalf  of  their  women  and  their 
homes.  And  these,"  he  added,  taking  snuff  from  a 
gold  box,  "are  perhaps  as  potent  spurs  to  action  as 
the  whims  of  a  busybody  or  the  gains  of  a  house-keep- 
ing trader." 

I  was  determined  not  to  be  provoked,  so  I  answered 
nothing.  But  Miss  Elspeth  opened  her  eyes  and  smiled 
sweetly  upon  the  speaker. 

"La,  Mr.  Grey,  I  protest  you  are  too  severe.  Busy- 
body— well,  it  may  be.  I  have  found  Mr.  Garvald 
very  busy  in  other  folks'  affairs.  But  I  do  assure  you  he 
is  no  house-keeper.  I  have  seen  him  in  desperate  con- 
flict with  savage  men,  and  even  with  His  Majesty's 
redcoats.  If  trouble  ever  comes  to  Virginia,  you  will 
find  him,  I  doubt  not,  a  very  bold  moss-trooper." 

It  was  the  light,  laughing  tone  I  remembered  well, 
but  now  it  did  not  vex  me.  Nothing  that  she  could  say 
or  do  could  break  the  spell  that  had  fallen  on  my  heart. 
"I  pray  it  may  be  so,"  said  Mr.  Grey  as  he  turned  aside. 

142 


I  HEAR  AN  OLD  SONG 

By  this  time  the  Governor  had  come  forward,  and 
I  saw  that  my  presence  was  no  longer  desired.  I 
wanted  to  get  back  to  Shalah  and  solitude.  The  cold 
bed  on  the  shore  would  be  warmed  for  me  by  happy 
dreams.  So  I  found  my  host,  and  thanked  him  for  my 
entertainment.  He  gave  me  good-evening  hastily,  as  if 
he  were  glad  to  be  rid  of  me. 

At  the  hall  door  some  one  tapped  me  on  the  shoul- 
der, and  I  turned  to  find  my  silken  cavalier. 

"It  seems  you  are  a  gentleman,  sir,"  he  said,  "so  I 
desire  a  word  with  you.  Your  manners  at  table  de- 
served a  whipping,  but  I  will  condescend  to  forget 
them.  But  a  second  offence  shall  be  duly  punished." 
He  spoke  in  a  high,  lisping  voice,  which  was  the  latest 
London  importation. 

I  looked  him  square  in  the  eyes.  He  was  maybe  an 
inch  taller  than  me,  a  handsome  fellow,  with  a  flushed, 
petulant  face  and  an  overweening  pride  in  his  arched 
brows. 

"By  all  means  let  us  understand  each  other,"  I  said. 
"I  have  no  wish  to  quarrel  with  you.  Go  your  way 
and  I  will  go  mine,  and  there  need  be  no  trouble." 

"That  is  precisely  the  point,"  said  he.  "I  do  not 
choose  that  your  way  should  take  you  again  to  the  side 
of  Miss  Elspeth  Blair.     If  it  does,  we  shall  quarrel." 

It  was  the  height  of  flattery.  At  last  I  had  found  a 
fine  gentleman  who  did  me  the  honour  to  regard  me 
with  jealous  eyes.     I  laughed  loudly  with  delight. 

He  turned  and  strolled  back  to  the  company.  Still 
laughing,  I  passed  from  the  house,  lit  my  lantern,  and 
plunged  into  the  sombre  woods. 


CHAPTER  XI 

GRAVITY  OUT  OF  BED 

A  WEEK  later  I  had  a  visit  from  old  Mercer.  He 
came  to  my  house  in  the  evening  just  after  the 
closing  of  the  store.  First  of  all,  he  paid  out  to  me  the 
gold  I  had  lost  from  my  ship  at  Accomac,  with  all  the 
gravity  in  the  world,  as  if  it  had  been  an  ordinary  mer- 
chant's bargain.  Then  he  produced  some  papers,  and 
putting  on  big  horn  spectacles,  proceeded  to  instruct  me 
in  them.  They  were  lists,  fuller  than  those  I  had  al- 
ready got,  of  men  up  and  down  the  country  whom  Law- 
rence trusted.  Some  I  had  met,  many  I  knew  of,  but 
two  or  three  gave  me  a  start.  There  was  a  planter  in 
Henricus  who  had  treated  me  like  dirt,  and  some  names 
from  Essex  county  that  I  did  not  expect.  Especially 
there  were  several  in  James  Town  itself — one  a  lawyer 
body  I  had  thought  the  obedient  serf  of  the  London 
merchants,  one  the  schoolmaster,  and  another  a 
drunken  skipper  of  a  river  boat.  But  what  struck  me 
most  was  the  name  of  Colonel  Beverley. 
"Are  you  sure  of  all  these?"  I  asked. 
"Sure  as  death,"  he  said.  "I'm  not  saying  that 
they're   all   friends   of   yours,    Mr.    Garvald.     YeVe 

144 


GRAVITY  OUT  OF  BED 

trampled  on  a  good  wheen  toes  since  you  came  to  these 
parts.  But  they're  all  men  to  ride  the  ford  with,  if 
that  should  come  which  we  ken  of." 

Some  of  the  men  on  the  list  were  poor  settlers,  and 
it  was  our  business  to  equip  them  with  horse  and  gun. 
That  was  to  be  my  special  duty — that  and  the  estab- 
lishing of  means  by  which  they  could  be  summoned 
quickly.  With  the  first  Mercer  could  help  me,  for  he 
had  his  hand  on  all  the  lines  of  the  smuggling  business, 
and  there  were  a  dozen  ports  on  the  coast  where  he 
could  land  arms.  Horses  were  an  easy  matter,  requir- 
ing only  the  doling  out  of  money.  But  the  summoning 
business  was  to  be  my  particular  care.  I  could  go 
about  the  country  in  my  ordinary  way  of  trade  without 
exciting  suspicion,  and  my  house  was  to  be  the  rendez- 
vous of  every  man  on  the  list  who  wanted  news  or  guid- 
ance. 

"Can  ye  trust  your  men?"  Mercer  asked,  and  I  re- 
plied that  Faulkner  was  as  staunch  as  cold  steel,  and 
that  he  had  picked  the  others. 

"Well,  let's  see  your  accommodation,"  and  the  old 
fellow  hopped  to  his  feet,  and  was  out  of  doors  before 
I  could  get  the  lantern. 

Mercer  on  a  matter  of  this  sort  was  a  different  being 
from  the  decayed  landlord  of  the  water-side  tavern. 
His  spectacled  eyes  peered  everywhere,  and  his  shrewd 
sense  judged  instantly  of  a  thing's  value.  He  approved 
of  the  tobacco-shed  as  a  store  for  arms,  for  he  could 
reach  it  from  the  river  by  a  little-used  road  through  the 
woods.  It  was  easy  so  to  arrange  the  contents  that  a 
passing  visitor  could  guess  nothing,  and  no  one  ever 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

penetrated  to  its  recesses  but  Faulkner  and  myself.  I 
summoned  Faulkner  to  the  conference,  and  told  him  his 
duties,  which  he  undertook  with  sober  interest.  He 
was  a  dry  stick  from  Fife,  who  spoke  seldom  and 
wrought  mightily. 

Faulkner  attended  to  Mercer's  consignments,  and  I 
took  once  more  to  the  road.  I  had  to  arrange  that 
arms  from  the  coast  or  the  river-sides  could  be  sent 
inland,  and  for  this  purpose  I  had  a  regiment  of  pack 
horses  that  delivered  my  own  stores  as  well.  I  had 
to  visit  all  the  men  on  the  list  whom  I  did  not  know,  and 
a  weary  job  it  was.  I  repeated  again  my  toil  of  the 
first  year,  and  in  the  hot  Virginian  summer  rode  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  land.  My  own  business 
prospered  hugely,  and  I  bought  on  credit  such  a  stock 
of  tobacco  as  made  me  write  my  uncle  for  a  fourth 
ship  at  the  harvest  sailing.  It  seemed  a  strange  thing, 
I  remember,  to  be  bargaining  for  stuff  which  might 
never  be  delivered,  for  by  the  autumn  the  dominion 
might  be  at  death  grips. 

In  those  weeks  I  discovered  what  kind  of  force  Law- 
rence leaned  on.  He  who  only  knew  James  Town  and 
the  rich  planters  knew  little  of  the  true  Virginia.  There 
were  old  men  who  had  long  memories  of  Indian  fights, 
and  men  in  their  prime  who  had  risen  with  Bacon,  and 
young  men  who  had  their  eyes  turned  to  the  unknown 
West.  There  were  new-comers  from  Scotland  and 
North  Ireland,  and  a  stout  band  of  French  Protestants, 
most  of  them  gently  born,  who  had  sought  freedom  for 
their  faith  beyond  the  sway  of  King  Louis.  You  can- 
not picture  a  hardier  or  more  spirited  race  than  the  fel- 

146 


GRAVITY  OUT  OF  BED 

lows  I  thus  recruited.  The  forest  settler  who  swung 
an  axe  all  day  for  his  livelihood  could  have  felled  the 
ordinary  fine  gentleman  with  one  blow  of  his  fist.  And 
they  could  shoot  too,  with  their  rusty  matchlocks  or 
clumsy  snaphances.  In  some  few  the  motive  was  fear, 
for  they  had  seen  or  heard  of  the  tender  mercies  of  the 
savages.  But  in  most,  I  think,  it  was  a  love  of  bold 
adventure,  and  especially  the  craving  to  push  the  white 
man's  province  beyond  the  narrow  borders  of  the  Tide- 
water. If  you  say  that  this  was  something  more  than 
defence,  I  claim  that  the  only  way  to  protect  a  country 
is  to  make  sure  of  its  environs.  What  hope  is  there 
of  peace  if  your  frontier  is  the  rim  of  an  unknown 
forest? 

My  hardest  task  was  to  establish  some  method  of 
sending  news  to  the  outland  dwellers.  For  this  purpose 
I  had  to  consort  with  queer  folk.  Shalah,  who  had 
become  my  second  shadow,  found  here  and  there  little 
Indian  camps,  from  which  he  chose  young  men  as  mes- 
sengers. In  one  place  I  would  get  a  settler  with  a 
canoe,  in  another  a  woodman  with  a  fast  horse,  and  in 
a  third  some  lad  who  prided  himself  on  his  legs.  The 
rare  country  taverns  were  a  help,  for  most  of  their 
owners  were  in  the  secret.  The  Tidewater  is  a  flat 
forest  region,  so  we  could  not  light  beacons  as  in  a  hilly 
land.  But  by  the  aid  of  Shalah's  woodcraft  I  con- 
cocted a  set  of  marks  on  trees  and  dwellings  which 
would  speak  a  language  to  any  Initiate  traveller.  The 
Indians,  too,  had  their  own  silent  tongue,  by  which  they 
could  send  messages  over  many  leagues  in  a  short 
space.     I  never  learned  the  trick  of  it,  though  I  tried 

147 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

hard  with  Shalah  as  Interpreter;  for  that  you  must  have 
been  suckled  in  a  wigwam. 

When  I  got  back  to  James  Town,  Faulkner  would 
report  on  his  visitors,  and  he  seems  to  have  had  many. 
Rough  fellows  would  ride  up  at  the  darkening,  bringing 
a  line  from  Mercer,  or  more  often  an  agreed  password, 
and  he  had  to  satisfy  their  wants  and  remember  their 
news.  So  far  I  had  had  no  word  from  Lawrence, 
though  Mercer  reported  that  Ringan  was  still  sending 
arms.  That  tobacco-shed  of  mine  would  have  made  a 
brave  explosion  if  some  one  had  kindled  It,  and,  indeed, 
the  thing  more  than  once  was  near  happening  through 
a  negro's  foolishness.  I  spent  all  my  evenings,  when  at 
home.  In  making  a  map  of  the  country.  I  had  got  a 
rough  chart  from  the  Surveyor-General,  and  filled  up 
such  parts  as  I  knew,  and  over  all  I  spread  a  network 
of  lines  which  meant  my  ways  of  sending  news.  For 
instance,  to  get  a  man  in  Essex  county,  the  word  would 
be  passed  by  Middle  Plantation  to  York  Ferry.  Thence 
in  an  Indian's  canoe  it  would  be  carried  to  Alrd's  store 
on  the  Mattaponey,  from  which  a  woodman  would  take 
it  across  the  swamps  to  a  clump  of  hemlocks.  There 
he  would  make  certain  marks,  and  a  long-legged  lad 
from  the  Rappahannock,  riding  by  daily  to  school, 
would  carry  the  tidings  to  the  man  I  wanted.  And  so 
forth  over  the  habitable  dominion.  I  calculated  that 
there  were  not  more  than  a  dozen  of  Lawrence's  men 
who  within  three  days  could  not  get  the  summons  and 
within  five  be  at  the  proper  rendezvous. 

One  evening  I  was  surprised  by  a  visit  from  Colonel 
Beverley.     He  came  openly  on  a  fine  bay  horse  with 

148 


GRAVITY  OUT  OF  BED 

two  mounted  negroes  as  attendants.  I  had  parted  from 
him  dryly,  and  had  been  surprised  to  find  that  he  was 
one  of  us;  but  when  I  had  talked  with  him  a  little,  it 
appeared  that  he  had  had  a  big  share  in  planning  the 
whole  business.  We  mentioned  no  names,  but  I  gath- 
ered that  he  knew  Lawrence,  and  was  at  least  aware  of 
Ringan.  He  warned  me,  I  remember,  to  be  on  my 
guard  against  some  of  the  young  bloods,  who  might 
visit  me  to  make  mischief.  "It's  not  that  they  know 
anything  of  our  affairs,"  he  said,  "but  that  they  have 
got  a  prejudice  against  yourself,  Mr.  Garvald,  They 
are  foolish,  hot-headed  lads,  very  puffed  up  by  their 
pride  of  gentrice,  and  I  do  not  like  the  notion  of  their 
playing  pranks  in  that  tobacco-shed." 

I  asked  him  a  question  which  had  long  puzzled  me, 
why  the  natural  defence  of  a  country  should  be  kept  so 
secret.  "The  Governor,  at  any  rate,"  I  said,  "would 
approve,  and  we  are  not  asking  the  burgesses  for  a 
single  guinea." 

"Yes,  but  the  Governor  would  play  a  wild  hand," 
was  the  answer.  "He  would  never  permit  the  thing 
to  go  on  quietly,  but  would  want  to  ride  at  the  head 
of  the  men,  and  the  whole  fat  would  be  in  the  fire. 
You  must  know,  Mr.  Garvald,  that  politics  run  high 
in  our  Virgina.  There  are  scores  of  men  who  would 
see  in  our  enterprise  a  second  attempt  like  Bacon's,  and, 
though  they  might  approve  of  our  aims,  would  never 
hear  of  one  of  Bacon's  folk  serving  with  us.  I  was 
never  a  Bacon's  man,  for  I  was  with  Berkeley  In  Acco- 
mac  and  at  the  taking  of  James  Town,  but  I  know  the 
quality  of  the  rough  fellows  that  Bacon  led,  and  I  want 

149 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

them  all  for  this  adventure.  Besides,  who  can  deny 
that  there  is  more  in  our  plans  than  a  defence  against 
Indians?  There  are  many  who  feel  with  me  that  Vir- 
ginia can  never  grow  to  the  fullness  of  a  nation  so  long 
as  she  is  cooped  up  in  the  Tidewater.  New-comers  ar- 
rive by  every  ship  from  England,  and  press  on  into  the 
wilderness.  But  there  can  be  no  conquest  of  the  wilder- 
ness till  we  have  broken  the  Indian  menace,  and  pushed 
our  frontier  up  to  the  hills — ay,  and  beyond  them. 
But  tell  that  to  the  ordinary  planter,  and  he  will  assign 
you  to  the  devil.  He  fears  these  new-comers,  who 
are  simple  fellows  that  do  not  respect  his  grandeur. 
He  fears  that  some  day  they  may  control  the  assembly 
by  their  votes.  He  wants  the  Tidewater  to  be  his  cas- 
tle, with  porters  and  guards  to  hound  away  strangers. 
Man  alive,  if  you  had  tried  to  put  reason  into  some  of 
their  heads,  you  would  despair  of  human  nature.  Let 
them  get  a  hint  of  our  preparations,  and  there  will  be 
petitions  to  Council  and  a  howling  about  treason,  and  in 
a  week  you  will  be  in  gaol,  Mr.  Garvald.  So  we  must 
move  cannily,  as  you  Scots  say." 

That  conversation  made  me  wary,  and  I  got  Faulk- 
ner to  keep  a  special  guard  on  the  place  when  I  was 
absent.  At  the  worst,  he  could  summon  Mercer,  who 
would  bring  a  rough  crew  from  the  water-side  to  his 
aid.     Then  once  more  I  disappeared  into  the  woods. 

In  these  days  a  new  Shalah  revealed  himself.  I  think 
he  had  been  watching  me  closely  for  the  past  months, 
and  slowly  I  had  won  his  approval.  He  showed  it  by 
beginning  to  talk  as  he  loped  by  my  side  in  our  forest 
wandernigs.   The  man  was  like  no  Indian  I  have  ever 

150 


GRAVITY  OUT  OF  BED 

seen.  He  was  a  Senecan,  and  so  should  have  been  on 
the  side  of  the  Long  House;  but  it  was  plain  that  he 
was  an  outcast  from  his  tribe,  and,  indeed,  from  the 
whole  Indian  brotherhood.  I  could  not  fathom  him, 
for  he  seemed  among  savages  to  be  held  in  deep  re- 
spect, and  yet  here  he  was,  the  ally  of  the  white  man 
against  his  race.  His  lean,  supple  figure,  his  passion- 
less face,  and  his  high,  masterful  air  had  a  singular 
nobility  in  them.  To  me  he  was  never  the  servant, 
scarcely  even  the  companion,  for  he  seemed  like  a  being 
from  another  world,  who  had  a  knowledge  of  things 
hid  from  human  ken.  In  woodcraft  he  was  a  master 
beyond  all  thought  of  rivalry.  Often,  when  time  did 
not  press,  he  would  lead  me,  clumsy  as  I  was,  so  that 
I  could  almost  touch  the  muzzle  of  a  crouching  deer,  or 
lay  a  hand  on  a  yellow  panther,  before  it  slipped  like  a 
live  streak  of  light  into  the  gloom.  He  was  an  eery 
fellow,  too.  Once  I  found  him  on  a  high  river  bank 
at  sunset  watching  the  red  glow  behind  the  blue  shad- 
owy forest. 

"There  is  blood  In  the  West,"  he  said,  pointing  like 
a  prophet  with  his  long  arm.  "There  is  blood  in  the 
hills  which  is  flowing  to  the  waters.  At  the  Moon  of 
Stags  it  will  flow,  and  by  the  Moon  of  Wildfowl  It  will 
have  stained  the  sea." 

He  had  always  the  hills  at  the  back  of  his  head. 
Once,  when  we  caught  a  glimpse  of  them  from  a  place 
far  up  the  James  River,  he  stood  like  a  statue  gazing 
at  the  thin  line  which  hung  like  a  cloud  in  the  west.  I 
am  upland  bred,  and  to  me,  too,  the  sight  was  a  com- 
fort as  I  stood  beside  him. 

151 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

"The  Manitoii  in  the  hills  is  calling,"  he  said 
abruptly.  "I  wait  a  little,  but  not  long.  You  too  will 
follow,  brother,  to  where  the  hawks  wheel  and  the 
streams  fall  in  vapour.  There  we  shall  find  death  or 
love,  I  know  not  which,  but  it  will  be  a  great  finding. 
The  gods  have  written  it  on  my  heart." 

Then  he  turned  and  strode  away,  and  I  did  not  dare 
to  question  him.  There  was  that  about  him  which 
stirred  my  prosaic  soul  into  a  wild  poetry,  till  for  the 
moment  I  saw  with  his  eyes,  and  heard  strange  voices 
in  the  trees. 

Apart  from  these  uncanny  moods  he  was  the  most 
faithful  helper  in  my  task.  Without  him  I  must  have 
been  a  mere  child.  I  could  not  read  the  lore  of  the 
forest;  I  could  not  have  found  my  way  as  he  found 
it  through  pathless  places.  From  him,  too,  I  learned 
that  we  were  not  to  make  our  preparations  unwatched. 

Once,  as  we  were  coming  from  the  Rappahannock 
to  the  York,  he  darted  suddenly  into  the  undergrowth 
below  the  chestnuts.  My  eye  could  see  no  clue  on  the 
path,  and,  suspecting  nothing,  I  waited  on  him  to  re- 
turn. Presently  he  came,  and  beckoned  me  to  follow. 
Thirty  yards  into  the  coppice  we  found  a  man  lying 
dead,  with  a  sharp  stake  holding  him  to  the  ground, 
and  a  raw,  red  mass  where  had  been  once  his  head. 

"That  was  your  messenger,  brother,"  he  whispered, 
"the  one  who  was  to  carry  word  from  the  Mattaponey 
to  the  north.     See,  he  has  been  dead  for  two  suns." 

He  was  one  of  the  tame  Algonquins  who  dwelt  by 
Aird's  store. 

"Who  did  it?"  I  asked,  with  a  very  sick  stomach. 

152 


GRAVITY  OUT  OF  BED 

"A  Cherokee.  Some  cunning  one,  and  he  left  a 
sign  to  guide  us." 

He  showed  me  a  fir-cone  he  had  picked  up  from  the 
path,  with  the  sharp  end  cut  short  and  a  thorn  stuck 
in  the  middle. 

The  thing  disquieted  me  horribly,  for  we  had  heard 
no  word  yet  of  any  movement  from  the  West.  And 
yet  it  seemed  that  our  enemy's  scouts  had  come  far 
down  Into  the  Tidewater,  and  knew  enough  to  single 
out  for  death  a  man  we  had  enrolled  for  service. 
Shalah  slipped  off  without  a  word,  and  I  was  left  to 
continue  my  journey  alone.  I  will  not  pretend  that  I 
liked  the  business.  I  saw  an  Indian  In  every  patch  of 
shadow,  and  looked  pretty  often  to  my  pistols  before  I 
reached  the  security  of  Alrd's  house. 

Four  days  later  Shalah  appeared  at  James  Town. 
"They  were  three,"  he  said  simply.  "They  came  from 
the  hills  a  moon  ago,  and  have  been  making  bad  trouble 
on  the  Rappahannock.  I  found  them  at  the  place 
above  the  beaver  traps  of  the  Oonlche.  They  return 
no  more  to  their  people." 

After  that  we  sent  out  warnings,  and  kept  a  close  eye 
on  the  different  lodges  of  the  Algonqulns.  But  nothing 
happened  till  weeks  later,  when  the  tragedy  on  the 
Rapldan  fell  on  us  like  a  thunderclap. 

All  this  time  I  had  been  too  busy  to  go  near  the  town 
or  the  horse-racings  and  holiday  meetings  where  I 
might  have  seen  Elspeth.  But  I  do  not  think  she  was 
ever  many  minutes  out  of  my  mind.  Indeed,  I  was 
almost  afraid  of  a  meeting,  lest  It  should  shatter  the 

153 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

bright  picture  which  comforted  my  solitude.  But  one 
evening  in  June,  as  I  jogged  home  from  Middle  Plan- 
tation through  the  groves  of  walnuts,  I  came  suddenly 
at  the  turn  of  the  road  on  a  party.  Doctor  James 
Blair,  mounted  on  a  stout  Flanders  cob,  held  the  mid- 
dle of  the  path,  and  at  his  side  rode  the  girl,  while  two 
servants  followed  with  travelling  valises.  I  was  upon 
them  before  I  could  rein  up,  and  the  Doctor  cried  a 
hearty  good-day.  So  I  took  my  place  by  Elspeth,  and, 
with  my  heart  beating  wildly,  accompanied  them 
through  the  leafy  avenues  and  by  the  green  melon-beds 
in  the  clearings  till  we  came  out  on  the  prospect  of  the 
river. 

The  Doctor  had  a  kindness  for  me,  and  was  eager  to 
talk  of  his  doings.  He  was  almost  as  great  a  moss- 
trooper as  myself,  and,  with  Elspeth  for  company,  had 
visited  near  every  settlement  in  the  dominion.  Educa- 
tion and  Christian  privileges  were  his  care,  and  he  de- 
plored the  backward  state  of  the  land.  I  remember 
that  even  then  he  was  full  of  his  scheme  for  a  Virginian 
college  to  be  established  at  Middle  Plantation,  and  he 
wrote  weekly  letters  to  his  English  friends  soliciting 
countenance  and  funds.  Of  the  happy  issue  of  these 
hopes,  and  the  great  college  which  now  stands  at  Wil- 
liamsburg, there  is  no  need  to  remind  this  generation. 

But  in  that  hour  I  thought  little  of  education.  The 
Doctor  boomed  away  in  his  deep  voice,  and  I  gave  him 
heedless  answers.  My  eyes  were  ever  wandering  to  the 
slim  figure  at  my  side.  She  wore  a  broad  hat  of  straw, 
I  remember,  and  her  skirt  and  kirtle  were  of  green,  the 
fairies'  colour.     I  think  she  was  wearied  with  the  sun, 

154 


GRAVITY  OUT  OF  BED 

for  she  spoke  little ;  but  her  eyes  when  they  met  mine 
were  kind.  That  day  I  was  not  ashamed  of  my  plain 
clothes  or  my  homely  face,  for  they  suited  well  with  the 
road.  My  great  boots  of  untanned  buckskin  were  red 
with  dust,  I  was  bronzed  like  an  Indian,  and  the  sun 
had  taken  the  colour  out  of  my  old  blue  coat.  But  I 
smacked  of  travel  and  enterprise,  which  to  an  honest 
heart  are  dearer  than  brocade.  Also  I  had  a  notion 
that  my  very  homeliness  revived  in  her  the  memories 
of  our  common  motherland.  I  had  nothing  to  say, 
having  acquired  the  woodland  habit  of  silence,  and 
perhaps  it  was  well.  My  clumsy  tongue  would  have 
only  broken  the  spell  which  the  sunlit  forests  had  woven 
around  us. 

As  we  reached  my  house  a  cavalier  rode  up  with  a 
bow  and  a  splendid  sweep  of  his  hat.  'Twas  my  ac- 
quaintance, Mr.  Grey,  come  to  greet  the  travellers. 
Elspeth  gave  me  her  hand  at  parting,  and  I  had  from 
the  cavalier  the  finest  glance  of  hate  and  jealousy  which 
ever  comforted  the  heart  of  a  backward  lover. 


CHAPTER  XII 

A  WORD  AT  THE    HARBOUR-SIDE 

THE  next  Sunday  I  was  fool  enough  to  go  to 
church,  for  Doctor  Blair  was  announced  to 
preach  the  sermon.  Now  I  knew  very  well  what  treat- 
ment I  should  get,  and  that  it  takes  a  stout  fellow  to 
front  a  conspiracy  of  scorn.  But  I  had  got  new  courage 
from  my  travels,  so  I  put  on  my  best  suit  of  murrey- 
coloured  cloth,  my  stockings  of  cherry  silk,  the  gold 
buckles  which  had  been  my  father's,  my  silk-embroi- 
dered waistcoat,  freshly-ironed  ruffles,  and  a  new  hat 
which  had  cost  forty  shillings  in  London  town.  I  wore 
my  own  hair,  for  I  never  saw  the  sense  of  a  wig  save 
for  a  bald  man,  but  I  had  it  deftly  tied.  I  would  have 
cut  a  great  figure  had  there  not  been  my  bronzed  and 
rugged  face  to  give  the  lie  to  my  finery. 

It  was  a  day  of  blistering  heat.  The  river  lay  still 
as  a  lagoon,  and  the  dusty  red  roads  of  the  town  blazed 
like  a  furnace.  Before  I  had  got  to  the  church  door  I 
was  in  a  great  sweat,  and  stopped  in  the  porch  to  fan 
myself.  Inside  'twas  cool  enough,  with  a  pleasant 
smell  from  the  cedar  pews,  but  there  was  such  a  press 
of  a  congregation  that  many  were  left  standing.  I  had 
a  good  place  just  below  the  choir,  where  I  saw  the  Gov- 

156 


A  WORD  AT  THE  HARBOUR-SIDE 

ernor's  carved  chair,  with  the  Governor's  self  before  it 
on  his  kneeling-cushion  making  pretence  to  pray. 
Round  the  choir  rail  and  below  the  pulpit  clustered 
many  young  exquisites,  for  this  was  a  sovereign  place 
from  which  to  show  off  their  finery.  I  could  not  get  a 
sight  of  Elspeth. 

Doctor  Blair  preached  us  a  fine  sermon  from  the 
text,  "My  people  shall  dwell  in  a  pleasant  habitation, 
and  in  sure  dwellings,  and  in  quiet  resting-places,^^  but 
his  hearers  were  much  disturbed  by  the  continual  chat- 
ter of  the  fools  about  the  choir  rail.  Before  he  had 
got  to  the  Prayer  of  Chrysostom  the  exquisites  were 
whispering  like  pigeons  in  a  dovecot,  exchanging  snuff- 
boxes, and  ogling  the  women.  So  intolerable  it  grew 
that  the  Doctor  paused  in  his  discourse  and  sternly  re- 
buked them,  speaking  of  the  laughter  of  fools  which 
is  as  the  crackling  of  thorns  under  a  pot.  This  silenced 
them  for  a  little,  but  the  noise  broke  out  during  the 
last  prayer,  and  with  the  final  word  of  the  Benediction 
my  gentlemen  thrust  their  way  through  the  congrega- 
tion, that  they  might  be  the  first  at  the  church  door.  I 
have  never  seen  so  unseemly  a  sight,  and  for  a  moment 
I  thought  that  Governor  Nicholson  would  call  the  hal- 
berdiers and  set  them  in  the  pillory.  He  refrained, 
though  his  face  was  dark  with  wrath,  and  I  judged 
that  there  would  be  some  hard  words  said  before  the 
matter  was  finished. 

I  must  tell  you  that  during  the  last  week  I  had  been 
coming  more  into  favour  with  the  prosperous  families 
of  the  colony.  Some  one  may  have  spoken  well  of 
me,  perhaps  the  Doctor,  or  they  may  have  seen  the 

157 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

justice  of  my  way  of  trading.  Anyhow,  I  had  a  civil 
greeting  from  several  of  the  planters,  and  a  bow  from 
their  dames.  But  no  sooner  was  I  in  the  porch  than 
I  saw  that  trouble  was  afoot  with  the  young  bloods. 
They  were  drawn  up  on  both  sides  the  path,  bent  on 
quizzing  me.  I  sternly  resolved  to  keep  my  temper,  but 
I  foresaw  that  it  would  not  be  easy. 

"Behold  the  shopman  in  his  Sunday  best,"  said  one. 
"I  thought  that  Sawney  wore  bare  knees  on  his  dirty 
hills,"  said  another. 

One  pointed  to  my  buckles.  "Pinchbeck  out  of  the 
store,"  he  says. 

"Ho,  ho,  such  finery!"  cried  another.  "See  how  he 
struts  like  a  gamecock." 

"There's  much  ado  when  beggars  ride,"  said  a  third, 
quoting  the  proverb. 

It  was  all  so  pitifully  childish  that  it  failed  to  pro- 
voke me.  I  marched  down  the  path  with  a  smile  on  my 
face,  which  succeeded  in  angering  them.  One  young 
fool,  a  Norton  from  Malreward,  would  have  hustled 
me,  but  I  saw  Mr.  Grey  hold  him  back.  "No  brawling 
here,  Austin,"  said  my  rival. 

They  were  not  all  so  discreet.  One  of  the  Kents 
of  Gracedieu  tried  to  trip  me  by  thrusting  his  cane 
between  my  legs.  But  I  was  ready  for  him,  and,  pulling 
up  quick  and  bracing  my  knees,  I  snapped  the  thing 
short,  so  that  he  was  left  to  dangle  the  ivory  top. 

Then  he  did  a  wild  thing.  He  flung  the  remnant  at 
my  face,  so  that  the  ragged  end  scratched  my  cheek. 
When  I  turned  wrathfully  I  found  a  circle  of  grinning 
faces. 

158 


A  WORD  AT  THE  HARBOUR-SIDF 

It  is  queer  how  a  wound,  however  slight,  breaks  a 
man's  temper  and  upsets  his  calm  resolves.  I  think  that 
then  and  there  I  would  have  been  involved  in  a  mellay, 
had  not  a  voice  spoke  behind  me. 

"Mr.  Garvald,"  it  said,  "will  you  give  me  the  fa- 
vour of  your  arm?  We  dine  to-day  with  his  Excel- 
lency." 

I  turned  to  find  Elspeth,  and  close  behind  her  Doctor 
Blair  and  Governor  Nicholson. 

All  my  heat  left  me,  and  I  had  not  another  thought 
for  my  tormentors.  In  that  torrid  noon  she  looked  as 
cool  and  fragrant  as  a  flower.  Her  clothes  were  simple 
compared  with  the  planters'  dames,  but  of  a  far  more 
dainty  fashion  She  wore,  I  remember,  a  gown  of  pale 
sprigged  muslin,  with  a  blue  kerchief  about  her  shoul- 
ders and  blue  ribbons  in  her  wide  hat.  As  her  hand 
lay  lightly  on  my  arm  I  did  not  think  of  my  triumph,  be- 
ing wholly  taken  up  with  the  admiration  of  her  grace. 
The  walk  was  all  too  short,  for  the  Governor's  lodging 
was  but  a  stone's-throw  distant.  When  we  parted  at 
the  door  I  hoped  to  find  some  of  my  mockers  still 
lingering,  for  in  that  hour  I  think  I  could  have  flung 
any  three  of  them  into  the  river. 

None  were  left,  however,  and  as  I  walked  home- 
wards I  reflected  very  seriously  that  the  baiting  of  An- 
drew Garvald  could  not  endure  for  long.  Pretty  soon 
I  must  read  these  young  gentry  a  lesson,  little  though 
I  wanted  to  embroil  myself  in  quarrels.  I  called  them 
"young"  in  scorn,  but  few  of  them,  I  fancy,  were 
younger  than  myself. 

Next  day,  as  it  happened,  I  had  business  with  Mercer 

159 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

at  the  water-side,  and  as  I  returned  along  the  harbour 
front  I  fell  in  with  the  Receiver  of  Customs,  who  was 
generally  called  the  Captain  of  the  Castle,  from  his 
station  at  Point  Comfort,  He  was  an  elderly  fellow 
who  had  once  been  a  Puritan,  and  still  cherished  a  trace 
of  the  Puritan  modes  of  speech.  I  had  often  had  deal- 
ings with  him,  and  had  found  him  honest,  though  a 
thought  truculent  in  manner.  He  had  a  passion  against 
all  smugglers  and  buccaneers,  and,  in  days  to  come,  was 
to  do  good  service  in  ridding  Accomac  of  these 
scourges.  He  feared  God,  and  did  not  greatly  fear 
much  else. 

He  was  sitting  on  the  low  wall  smoking  a  pipe,  and 
had  by  him  a  very  singular  gentleman.  Never  have  I 
set  eyes  on  a  more  decorous  merchant.  He  was  habited 
neatly  and  soberly  in  black,  with  a  fine  white  cravat  and 
starched  shirt-bands.  He  wore  a  plain  bob-wig  below 
a  huge  flat-brimmed  hat,  and  big  blue  spectacles  shaded 
his  eyes.  His  mouth  was  as  precise  as  a  lawyer's,  and 
altogether  he  was  a  very  whimsical,  dry  fellow  to  find 
at  a  Virginian  port. 

The  Receiver  called  me  to  him  and  asked  after  a 
matter  which  we  had  spoken  of  before.  Then  he  made 
me  known  to  his  companion,  who  was  a  Mr.  Fair- 
weather,  a  merchant  out  of  Boston. 

"The  Lord  hath  given  thee  a  pleasant  dwelling, 
friend,"  said  the  stranger,  snuffling  a  little  through  his 
nose. 

From  his  speech  I  knew  that  Mr.  Fairweather  was 
of  the  sect  of  the  Quakers,  a  peaceable  race  that  Vir- 
ginia had  long  ill-treated. 

1 60 


A  WORD  AT  THE  HARBOUR-SIDE 

"The  land  is  none  so  bad,"  said  the  Receiver,  "but 
the  people  are  a  perverse  generation.  Their  hearts 
are  set  on  vanity,  and  puffed  up  with  pride.  I  could 
wish,  Mr.  Fairweather,  that  my  lines  had  fallen  among 
your  folk  in  the  north,  where,  I  am  told,  true  religion 
yet  flourisheth  Here  we  have  nothing  but  the  cold 
harangues  of  the  Commissary,  who  seeketh  after  the 
knowledge  that  perisheth  rather  than  the  wisdom 
which  is  eternal  life," 

"Patience,  friend,"  said  the  stranger.  "Thee  is  not 
alone  in  thy  crosses.  The  Lord  hath  many  people  up 
Boston  way,  but  they  are  sore  beset  by  the  tribulations 
of  Zion.  On  land  there  is  war  and  rumour  of  war,  and 
on  the  sea  the  ships  of  the  godly  are  snatched  by  every 
manner  of  ocean  thief.  Likewise  we  have  dissension 
among  ourselves,  and  a  constant  strife  with  the  fro- 
ward  human  heart.  Still  is  Jerusalem  troubled,  and 
there  is  no  peace  within  her  bulwarks." 

"Do  the  pirates  afflict  you  much  in  the  north?"  asked 
the  Receiver  with  keen  interest. 

The  stranger  turned  his  large  spectacles  upon  him, 
and  then  looked  blandly  at  me.  Suddenly  I  had  a  notion 
that  I  had  seen  that  turn  of  the  neck  and  poise  of  the 
head  before. 

"Woe  is  me,"  he  cried  in  a  stricken  voice.  "The 
French  have  two  fair  vessels  of  mine  since  March, 
and  a  third  is  missing.  Some  say  it  ran  for  a  Vir- 
ginian port,  and  I  am  here  to  seek  it.  Heard  thee  ever, 
friend,  of  a  strange  ship  in  the  James  or  the  Potomac?" 

"There  be  many  strange  ships,"  said  the  Receiver, 
"for  this  dominion  is  the  goal  for  all  the  wandering 

i6i 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

merchantmen  of  the  earth.     What  was  the  name  of 
yours?" 

"A  square-rigged  schooner  out  of  Bristol,  painted 
green,  with  a  white  figurehead  of  a  winged  heathen 
god." 

"And  the  name?" 

"The  name  is  a  strange  one.  It  is  called  The  Horn 
of  Diarmaid,  but  I  seek  to  prevail  on  the  captain  to 
change  it  to  The  Horn  of  Mercy." 

"No  such  name  is  known  to  me,"  and  the  Receiver 
shook  his  head.  "But  I  will  remember  it,  and  send 
you  news." 

I  hope  I  did  not  betray  my  surprise,  but  for  all  that 
it  was  staggering.  Of  all  disguises  and  of  all  com- 
panies this  was  the  most  comic  and  the  most  hazardous. 
I  stared  across  the  river  till  I  had  mastered  my  coun- 
tenance, and  when  I  looked  again  at  the  two  they  were 
soberly  discussing  the  harbour  dues  of  Boston. 

Presentlythe  Receiver's  sloop  arrived  to  carry  him  to 
Point  Comfort.  He  nodded  to  me,  and  took  an  affec- 
tionate farewell  of  the  Boston  man.  I  heard  some 
good  mouth-filling  texts  exchanged  between  them. 

Then,  when  we  were  alone,  the  Quaker  turned  to 
me.  "Man,  Andrew,"  he  said,  "it  was  a  good  thing 
that  I  had  a  Bible  up-bringing.  I  can  manage  the  part 
fine,  but  I  flounder  among  the  'thees'  and  'thous.'  I 
would  be  the  better  of  a  drink  to  wash  my  mouth  of 
the  accursed  pronouns.  Will  you  be  alone  to-night 
about  the  darkening?  Then  I'll  call  in  to  see  you,  for 
I've  much  to  tell  you." 

That  evening  about  nine  the  Quaker  slipped  into  my 
room. 

162 


A  WORD  AT  THE  HARBOUR-SIDE 

*'How  about  that  tobacco-shed?"  he  asked.  "Is  it 
well  guarded?" 

"Faulkner  and  one  of  the  men  sleep  above  it,  and 
there  are  a  couple  of  fierce  dogs  chained  at  the  door. 
Unless  they  know  the  stranger,  he  will  be  apt  to  lose 
the  seat  of  his  breeches." 

The  Quaker  nodded,  well  pleased.  "That  is  well, 
for  I  heard  word  in  the  town  that  to-night  you  might 
have  a  visitor  or  two."  Then  he  walked  to  a  stand 
of  arms  on  the  wall  and  took  down  a  small  sword, 
which  he  handled  lovingly.  "A  fair  weapon,  Andrew," 
said  he.  "My  new  sect  forbids  me  to  wear  a  blade,  but 
I  think  I'll  keep  this  handy  beside  me  in  the  chimney 
corner." 

Then  he  gave  me  the  news.  Lawrence  had  been  far 
inland  with  the  Monacans,  and  had  brought  back  dis- 
quieting tales.  The  whole  nation  of  the  Cherokees 
along  the  line  of  the  mountains  was  unquiet.  Old 
family  feuds  had  been  patched  up,  and  there  was  a 
coming  and  going  of  messengers  from  Chickamauga 
to  the  Potomac. 

"Well,  we're  ready  for  them,"  I  said,  and  I  told 
him  the  full  story  of  our  preparations. 

"Ay,  but  that  is  not  all.  I  would  not  give  much  for 
what  the  Cherokees  and  the  Tuscaroras  could  do. 
There  might  be  some  blood  shed  and  a  good  few  blaz- 
ing roof-trees  in  the  back  country,  but  no  Indian  raid 
would  stand  against  our  lads.  But  I  have  a  notion — 
maybe  it's  only  a  notion,  though  Lawrence  is  half  in- 
clined to  it  himself — that  there's  more  in  this  business 
than  a  raid  from  the  hills.  There's  something  stirring 
in  the  West,  away  in  the  parts  that  no  white  man  has 

163 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

ever  travelled.     From  what  I  learn  there's  a  bigger 
brain  than  an  Indian's  behind  it." 

"The  French?"  I  asked. 

"Maybe,  but  maybe  not.  What's  to  hinder  a  black- 
guard like  Cosh,  with  ten  times  Cosh's  mind,  from  get- 
ting into  the  Indian  councils,  and  turning  the  whole 
West  loose  on  the  Tidewater?" 

"Have  you  any  proof?"  I  asked,  much  alarmed. 

"Little  at  present.  But  one  thing  I  know.  There's 
a  man  among  the  tribes  that  speaks  English." 

"Great  God,  what  a  villain!"  I  cried.  "But  how  do 
you  know?" 

"Just  this  way.  The  Monacans  put  an  arrow 
through  the  neck  of  a  young  brave,  and  they  found  this 
in  his  belt." 

He  laid  before  me  a  bit  of  a  printed  Bible  leaf. 
About  half  was  blank  paper,  for  it  came  at  the  end  of 
the  Book  of  Revelation.  On  the  blank  part  some  signs 
had  been  made  in  rude  ink  which  I  could  not  under- 
stand. 

"But  this  Is  no  proof,"  I  said.  "It's  only  a  relic 
from  some  plundered  settlement.  Can  you  read  those 
marks?" 

"I  cannot,  nor  could  the  Monacans.  But  look  at  the 
printed  part." 

I  looked  again,  and  saw  that  some  one  had  very 
carefully  underlined  certain  words.  These  made  a 
sentence,  and  read,  ''John,  servant  of  prophecy,  is  at 
hand." 

"The  underlining  may  have  been  done  long  ago," 
I  hazarded. 

164 


A  WORD  AT  THE  HARBOUR-SIDE 

"No,  the  ink  is  not  a  month  old,"  he  said,  and  I 
could  do  nothing  but  gape. 

"Well,  what's  your  plan?"  I  said  at  last. 

"None,  but  I  would  give  my  right  hand  to  know 
what  is  behind  the  hills.  That's  our  weakness,  An- 
drew. We  have  to  wait  here,  and  since  we  do  not  know 
the  full  peril,  we  cannot  fully  prepare.  There  may  be 
mischief  afoot  which  would  rouse  every  sleepy  planter 
out  of  bed,  and  turn  the  Tidewater  into  an  armed  camp. 
But  we  know  nothing.     If  we  had  only  a  scout " 

"What  about  Shalah?"  I  asked. 

"Can  you  spare  him  ?"  he  replied ;  and  I  knew  I  could 
not. 

"I  see  nothing  for  it,"  I  said,  "but  to  wait  till  we  are 
ready,  and  then  to  make  a  reconnaissance,  trusting  to 
be  in  time.  This  is  the  first  week  of  July.  In  another 
fortnight  every  man  on  our  list  will  be  armed,  and 
every  line  of  communication  laid.  Then  is  our  chance 
to  make  a  bid  for  news." 

He  nodded,  and  at  that  moment  came  the  growling 
of  dogs  from  the  sheds.  Instantly  his  face  lost  its 
heavy  preoccupation,  and  under  his  Quaker's  mask  be- 
came the  mischievous  countenance  of  a  boy.  "That's 
your  friends,"  he  said.    "Now  for  a  merry  meeting." 

In  the  sultry  weather  I  had  left  open  window  and 
door,  and  every  sound  came  clear  from  the  outside.  I 
heard  the  scuffling  of  feet,  and  some  confused  talk,  and 
presently  there  stumbled  into  my  house  half  a  dozen 
wild-looking  figures.  They  blinked  in  the  lamplight, 
and  one  begged  to  know  if  "Mr.  Garbled"  were  at 
home.    All  had  decked  themselves  for  this  play  in  what 

165 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

they  fancied  was  the  dress  of  pirates — scarlet  sashes, 
and  napkins  or  turbans  round  their  heads,  big  boots 
and  masks  over  their  eyes.  I  did  not  recognize  a  face, 
but  I  was  pretty  clear  that  Mr.  Grey  was  not  of  the 
number,  and  I  was  glad,  for  the  matter  between  him 
and  me  was  too  serious  for  this  tomfoolery.  All  had 
been  drinking,  and  one  at  least  was  very  drunk.  He 
stumbled  across  the  floor,  and  all  but  fell  on  Ringan  in 
his  chair. 

"Hullo,  old  Square-Toes,"  he  hiccupped;  "what  the 
devil  are  you?" 

"Friend,  thee  is  shaky  on  thy  legs,"  said  Ringan,  In 
a  mild  voice.     "It  were  well  for  thee  to  be  in  bed." 

"Bed,"  cried  the  roysterer;  "no  bed  for  me  this 
night!    Where  Is  that  damnable  Scots  packman?" 

I  rose  very  quietly  and  lit  another  lamp.  Then  I 
shut  the  window,  and  closed  the  shutters.  "Here  I 
am,"  I  said,  "very  much  at  your  service,  gentlemen." 

One  or  two  of  the  sober  ones  looked  a  little  em- 
barrassed, but  the  leader,  who  I  guessed  was  the  youth 
from  Gracedieu,  was  brave  enough. 

"The  gentlemen  of  Virginia,"  he  said  loudly,  "being 
resolved  that  the  man  Garvald  Is  an  offence  to  the  do- 
minion, have  summoned  the  Free  Companions  to  give 
him  a  lesson.  If  he  will  sign  a  bond  to  leave  the  coun- 
try within  a  month,  we  are  Instructed  to  be  merciful. 
If  not,  we  have  here  tar  and  feathers  and  sundry  other 
adornments,  and  to-morrow's  morn  will  behold  a  pretty 
sight.  Choose,  you  Scots  swine."  In  the  excess  of 
his  zeal,  he  smashed  with  the  handle  of  his  sword  a 
clock  I  had  but  lately  got  from  Glasgow. 

i66 


A  WORD  AT  THE  HARBOUR-SIDE 

Ringan  signed  to  me  to  keep  my  temper.  He  pre- 
tended to  be  in  a  great  talcing. 

'T  am  a  man  of  peace,"  he  cried,  "but  I  cannot  en- 
dure to  see  my  friend  outraged.  Prithee,  good  folk,  go 
away.  See,  I  will  give  thee  a  guinea  each  to  leave  us 
alone." 

This  had  the  desired  effect  of  angering  them.  "Curse 
your  money,"  one  cried.  "You  damned  traders  think 
that  you  can  buy  a  gentleman.  Take  that  for  your  in- 
sult." And  he  aimed  a  blow  with  the  flat  of  his  sword, 
which  Ringan  easily  parried. 

"I  had  thought  thee  a  pirate,"  said  the  mild  Quaker, 
"but  thee  tells  me  thee  is  a  gentleman." 

"Hold  your  peace,  Square-Toes,"  cried  the  leader, 
"and  let's  get  to  business." 

"But  if  ye  be  gentlefolk,"  pleaded  Ringan,  "ye  will 
grant  a  fair  field.  I  am  no  fighter,  but  I  will  stand  by 
my  friend." 

I,  who  had  said  nothing,  now  broke  in.  "It  is  a 
warm  evening  for  sword-play,  but  if  it  is  your  humour, 
so  be  it." 

This  seemed  to  them  hugely  comic.  "La!"  cried 
one,  "Sawney  with  a  sword!"  And  he  plucked  forth 
his  own  blade,  and  bent  it  on  the  floor. 

Ringan  smiled  gently.  "Thee  must  grant  me  the 
first  favour,"  he  said,  "for  I  am  the  challenger,  if  that 
be  the  right  word  of  the  carnally  minded."  And  stand- 
ing up,  he  picked  up  the  blade  from  beside  him,  and 
bowed  to  the  leader  from  Gracedieu. 

Nothing  loath  he  engaged,  and  the  others  stood  back 
expecting  a  high  fiasco.    They  saw  it.     Ringan's  sword 

167 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

played  like  lightning  round  the  wretched  youth,  it 
twitched  the  blade  from  his  grasp,  and  forced  him  back 
with  a  very  white  face  to  the  door.  In  less  than  a 
minute.  It  seemed,  he  was  there,  and  as  he  yielded  so 
did  the  door,  and  he  disappeared  into  the  night.  He 
did  not  return,  so  I  knew  that  Ringan  must  have  spoke 
a  word  to  Faulkner. 

"Now  for  the  next  bloody-minded  pirate,"  cried 
Ringan,  and  the  next  with  a  very  wry  face  stood  up. 
One  of  the  others  would  have  joined  in,  but,  crying, 
*'For  shame,  a  fair  field,"  I  beat  down  his  sword. 

The  next  took  about  the  same  time  to  reach  the  door, 
and  disappeared  into  the  darkness,  and  the  third  about 
half  as  long.  Of  the  remaining  three,  one  sulkily 
declined  to  draw,  and  the  other  two  were  over  drunk 
for  anything.  They  sat  on  the  floor  and  sang  a  loose 
song. 

"It  seems,  friends,"  said  the  Quaker,  "that  ye  be 
more  ready  with  words  than  with  deeds.  I  pray  thee" 
— this  to  the  sober  one — "take  off  these  garments  of 
sin.  We  be  peaceful  traders,  and  cannot  abide  the 
thought  of  pirates." 

He  took  them  off,  sash,  breeches,  jerkin,  turban  and 
all,  and  stood  up  in  his  shirt.  The  other  two  I  stripped 
myself,  and  so  drunk  were  they  that  they  entered  into 
the  spirit  of  the  thing,  and  themselves  tore  at  the  but- 
tons. Then  with  Ringan's  sword  behind  them,  the 
three  marched  out  of  doors. 

There  we  found  their  companions  stripped  and  sul- 
len, with  Faulkner  and  the  men  to  guard  them.  We 
made  up  neat  parcels  of  their  clothes,  and  I  extorted 

i68 


A  WORD  AT  THE  HARBOUR-SIDE 

their  names,  all  except  one  who  was  too  far  gone  in 
drink. 

"To-morrow,  gentlemen,"  I  said,  *T  will  send  back 
your  belongings,  together  with  the  tar  and  feathers, 
which  you  may  find  useful  some  other  day.  The  night  is 
mild,  and  a  gentle  trot  will  keep  you  from  taking  chills. 
I  should  recommend  hurry,  for  in  five  minutes  the  dogs 
will  be  loosed.    A  pleasant  journey  to  you." 

They  moved  off,  and  then  halted  and  apparently 
were  for  returning.  But  they  thought  better  of  it,  and 
presently  they  were  all  six  of  them  racing  and  stumbling 
down  the  hill  in  their  shifts. 

The  Quaker  stretched  his  legs  and  lit  a  pipe.  "Was 
it  not  a  scurvy  trick  of  fate,"  he  observed  to  the  ceiling, 
"that  these  poor  lads  should  come  here  for  a  night's 
fooling,  and  find  the  best  sword  in  the  Five  Seas?" 


CHAPTER  XIII 

I  STUMBLE  INTO  A  GREAT  FOLLY 

I  NEVER  breathed  a  word  about  the  night's  do- 
ings, nor  for  divers  reasons  did  Ringan;  but  the 
story  got  about,  and  the  young  fools  were  the  laughing- 
stock of  the  place.  But  there  was  a  good  deal  of 
wrath,  too,  that  a  trader  should  have  presumed  so  far, 
and  I  felt  that  things  were  gathering  to  a  crisis  with 
me.  Unless  I  was  to  suffer  endlessly  these  petty  vex- 
ations, I  must  find  a  bold  stroke  to  end  them.  It  an- 
noyed me  that  when  so  many  grave  issues  were  in  the 
balance  I  should  have  these  troubles,  as  if  a  man  should 
be  devoured  by  midges  when  waiting  on  a  desperate 
combat. 

The  crisis  came  sooner  than  I  looked  for.  There 
was  to  be  a  great  horse-racing  at  Middle  Plantation 
the  next  Monday,  which  I  had  half  a  mind  to  attend, 
for,  though  I  cared  nothing  for  the  sport,  it  would  give 
me  a  chance  of  seeing  some  of  our  fellows  from  the 
York  River.  One  morning  I  met  Elspeth  in  the  street 
of  James  Town,  and  she  cried  laughingly  that  she 
looked  to  see  me  at  the  races.  After  that  I  had  no 
choice  but  go;  so  on  the  Monday  morning  I  dressed 
myself  with  care,  mounted  my  best  horse,  and  rode  to 
the  gathering. 

170 


I  STUMBLE  INTO  A  GREAT  FOLLY 

'Twas  a  pretty  sight  to  see  the  spacious  green 
meadow,  now  a  little  yellowing  with  the  summer  heat, 
set  in  the  girdle  of  dark  and  leafy  forest.  I  counted 
over  forty  chariots  which  had  brought  the  rank  of  the 
countryside,  each  with  its  liveried  servant  and  its  com- 
plement of  outriders.  The  fringe  of  the  course  blazed 
with  ladies'  finery,  and  a  tent  had  been  set  up  with  a 
wide  awning  from  which  the  fashionables  could  watch 
the  sport.  On  the  edge  of  the  woods  a  multitude  of 
horses  were  picketed,  and  there  were  booths  that  sold 
food  and  drink,  merry-go-rounds  and  fiddlers,  and  an 
immense  concourse  of  every  condition  of  folk,  black 
slaves  and  water-side  Indians,  squatters  from  the 
woods,  farmers  from  all  the  valleys,  and  the  scum  and 
ruck  of  the  plantations.  I  found  some  of  my  friends 
and  settled  my  business  with  them,  but  my  eyes  were 
always  straying  to  the  green  awning  where  I  knew  that 
Elspeth  sat. 

I  am  no  judge  of  racing,  but  I  love  the  aspect  of 
sleek,  slim  horses,  and  I  could  applaud  a  skill  in  which 
I  had  no  share.  I  can  keep  my  seat  on  most  four- 
legged  beasts,  but  my  horsemanship  is  a  clumsy,  rough- 
and-ready  affair,  very  different  from  the  effortless  grace 
of  your  true  cavalier.  Mr.  Grey's  prowess,  especially, 
filled  me  with  awe.  He  would  leap  an  ugly  fence  with- 
out moving  an  inch  In  his  saddle,  and  both  in  skill 
and  the  quality  of  his  mounts  he  was  an  easy  victor. 
The  sight  of  such  accomplishments  depressed  my  pride, 
and  I  do  not  think  I  would  have  ventured  near  the  tent 
had  it  not  been  for  the  Governor. 

He  saw  me  on  the  fringe  of  the  crowd,  and  called 

171 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

me  to  him.  "What  bashfulness  has  taken  you  to-day, 
sir?"  he  cried.  "That  Is  not  like  your  usual.  There 
are  twenty  pretty  dames  here  who  pine  for  a  word  from 
you. 

I  saw  his  purpose  well  enough.  He  loved  to  make 
mischief,  and  knew  that  the  sight  of  me  among  the 
Virginian  gentry  would  Infuriate  my  unfriends.  But 
I  took  him  at  his  word  and  elbowed  my  way  Into  the 
enclosure. 

Then  I  wished  to  Heaven  I  had  stayed  at  home.  I 
got  Insolent  glances  from  the  youths,  and  the  cold 
shoulder  from  the  ladles.  Elspeth  smiled  when  she 
saw  me,  but  turned  the  next  second  to  gossip  with  her 
little  court.  She  was  a  devout  lover  of  horses,  and 
had  eyes  for  nothing  but  the  racing.  Her  cheeks  were 
flushed,  and  It  was  pretty  to  watch  her  excitement; 
how  she  hung  breathless  on  the  movements  of  the  field, 
and  clapped  her  hands  at  a  brave  finish.  Pretty,  In- 
deed, but  exasperating  to  one  who  had  no  part  In  that 
pleasant  company. 

I  stood  gloomily  by  the  rail  at  the  edge  of  the  ladies' 
awning,  acutely  conscious  of  my  loneliness.  Presently 
Mr.  Grey,  whose  racing  was  over,  came  to  us,  and  had 
a  favour  pinned  in  his  coat  by  Elspeth's  fingers.  He 
was  evidently  high  in  her  good  graces,  for  he  sat 
down  by  her  and  talked  gleefully.  I  could  not  but 
admire  his  handsome,  eager  face,  and  admit  with  a 
bitter  grudge  that  you  would  look  long  to  find  a  come- 
lier  pair. 

All  this  did  not  soothe  my  temper,  and  after  an  hour 
of  It  I  was  in  desperate  Ill-humour  with  the  world.     I 

172 


I  STUMBLE  INTO  A  GREAT  FOLLY 

had  just  reached  the  conclusion  that  I  had  had  as  much 
as  I  wanted,  when  I  heard  Elspeth's  voice  calling  me. 

"Come  hither,  Mr.  Garvald,"  she  said.  "We  have 
a  dispute  which  a  third  must  settle.  I  favour  the 
cherry,  and  Mr.  Grey  fancies  the  blue ;  but  I  maintain 
that  blue  crowds  cherry  unfairly  at  the  corners.  Use 
your  eyes,  sir,  at  the  next  turning." 

I  used  my  eyes,  which  are  very  sharp,  and  had  no 
doubt  of  it. 

"That  is  a  matter  for  the  Master  of  the  Course," 
said  Mr.  Grey.  "Will  you  uphold  your  view  before 
him,  sir?" 

I  said  that  I  knew  too  little  of  the  sport  to  be  of 
much  weight  as  a  witness.  To  this  he  said  nothing,  but 
offered  to  wager  with  me  on  the  result  of  the  race, 
which  was  now  all  but  ending.  "Or  no,"  said  he,  "I 
should  not  ask  you  that.  A  trader  is  careful  of  his 
guineas." 

Elspeth  did  not  hear,  being  intent  on  other  things, 
and  I  merely  shrugged  my  shoulders,  though  my  fingers 
itched  for  the  gentleman's  ears. 

In  a  little  the  racing  ceased,  and  the  ladies  made 
ready  to  leave.  Doctor  Blair  appeared,  protesting 
that  the  place  was  not  for  his  cloth,  and  gave  Elspeth 
his  arm  to  escort  her  to  his  coach.  She  cried  a  merry 
good-day  to  us,  and  reminded  Mr.  Grey  that  he  had 
promised  to  sup  with  them  on  the  morrow.  When  she 
had  gone  I  spied  a  lace  scarf  which  she  had  forgotten, 
and  picked  it  up  to  restore  it. 

This  did  not  please  the  other.  He  snatched  it  from 
me,  and  when  I  proposed  to  follow,  tripped  me  deftly, 

173 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

and  sent  me  sprawling  among  the  stools.  As  I  picked 
myself  up,  I  saw  him  running  to  overtake  the  Blairs. 

This  time  there  was  no  discreet  girl  to  turn  the  edge 
of  my  fury.  All  the  gibes  and  annoyances  of  the  past 
months  rushed  into  my  mind,  and  set  my  head  throb- 
bing. I  was  angry,  but  very  cool  with  it  all,  for  I  saw 
that  the  matter  had  now  gone  too  far  for  tolerance. 
Unless  I  were  to  be  the  butt  of  Virginia,  I  must  assert 
my  manhood. 

I  flicked  the  dust  from  my  coat,  and  walked  quietly 
to  where  Mr.  Grey  was  standing  amid  a  knot  of  his 
friends,  who  talked  of  the  races  and  their  losses 
and  gains.  He  saw  me  coming,  and  said  something 
which  made  them  form  a  staring  alley,  down  which  I 
strolled.  He  kept  regarding  me  with  bright,  watchful 
eyes. 

"I  have  been  very  patient,  sir,"  I  said,  "but  there  is  a 
limit  to  what  a  man  may  endure  from  a  mannerless 
fool."    And  I  gave  him  a  hearty  slap  on  the  face. 

Instantly  there  was  a  dead  silence.  In  which  the  sound 
seemed  to  linger  intolerably.  He  had  grown  very 
white,  and  his  eyes  were  wicked. 

"I  am  obliged  to  you,  sir,"  he  said.  "You  are  some 
kind  of  ragged  gentleman,  so  no  doubt  you  will  give 
me  satisfaction." 

"When  and  where  you  please,"  I  said  sedately. 

"Will  you  name  your  friend  now?"  he  asked. 
"These  matters  demand  quick  settlement." 

To  whom  was  I  to  turn?  I  knew  nobody  of  the  bet- 
ter class  who  would  act  for  me.  For  a  moment  I 
thought  of  Colonel  Beverley,  but  his  age  and  dignity 

174 


I  STUMBLE  INTO  A  GREAT  FOLLY 

were  too  great  to  bring  him  into  this  squabble  of  youth. 
Then  a  notion  struck  me. 

"If  you  will  send  your  friend  to  my  man,  John 
Faulkner,  he  will  make  all  arrangements.  He  is  to  be 
found  any  day  in  my  shop." 

With  this  defiance,  I  walked  nonchalantly  out  of  the 
dumbfounded  group,  found  my  horse,  and  rode  home- 
wards. 

My  coolness  did  not  last  many  minutes,  and  long  ere 
I  had  reached  James  Town  I  was  a  prey  to  dark  fore- 
bodings. Here  was  I,  a  peaceful  trader,  who  desired 
nothing  more  than  to  live  in  amity  with  all  men,  In- 
volved in  a  bloody  strife.  I  had  sought  it,  and  yet  it 
had  been  none  of  my  seeking.  I  had  graver  thoughts 
to  occupy  my  mind  than  the  punctilios  of  idle  youth, 
and  yet  I  did  not  see  how  the  thing  could  have  been 
shunned.  It  was  my  hard  fate  to  come  athwart  an 
obstacle  which  could  not  be  circumvented,  but  must  be 
broken.  No  friend  could  help  me  in  the  business,  not 
Ringan,  nor  the  Governor,  nor  Colonel  Beverley,  It 
was  my  own  affair,  which  I  must  go  through  with  alone. 
I  felt  as  solitary  as  a  pelican. 

Remember,  I  was  not  fighting  for  any  whimsy  about 
honour,  nor  even  for  the  love  of  Elspeth.  I  had  openly 
provoked  Grey  because  the  hostility  of  the  young 
gentry  had  become  an  intolerable  nuisance  in  my  daily 
life.  So,  with  such  pedestrian  reasons  in  my  mind,  I 
could  have  none  of  the  heady  enthusiasm  of  passion.  I 
wanted  him  and  his  kind  cleared  out  of  my  way,  like 
a  noisome  insect,  but  I  had  no  flaming  hatred  of  him 
to  give  me  heart. 

175 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

The  consequence  was  that  I  became  a  prey  to  dismal 
fear.  That  bravery  which  knows  no  ebb  was  never 
mine.  Indeed,  I  am  by  nature  timorous,  for  my  fancy  is 
quick,  and  I  see  with  horrid  clearness  the  incidents  of 
a  peril.  Only  a  shamefaced  conscience  holds  me  true, 
so  that,  though  I  have  often  done  temerarious  deeds, 
it  has  always  been  because  I  feared  shame  more  than 
the  risk,  and  my  knees  have  ever  been  knocking  to- 
gether and  my  lips  dry  with  fright.  I  tried  to  think 
soberly  over  the  future,  but  could  get  no  conclusion 
save  that  I  would  not  do  murder.  My  conscience  was 
pretty  bad  about  the  whole  business.  I  was  engaged 
in  the  kind  of  silly  conflict  which  I  had  been  bred  to 
abhor;  I  had  none  of  the  common  gentleman's  no- 
tions about  honour;  and  I  knew  that  if  by  any  miracle 
I  slew  Grey  I  should  be  guilty  in  my  own  eyes  of  mur- 
der. I  would  not  risk  the  guilt.  If  God  had  deter- 
mined that  I  should  perish  before  my  time,  then  perish 
I  must. 

This  despair  brought  me  a  miserable  kind  of  com- 
fort. When  I  reached  home  I  went  straight  to  Faulk- 
ner. 

"I  have  quarrelled  to-day  with  a  gentleman,  John, 
and  have  promised  him  satisfaction.  You  must  act  for 
me  in  the  affair.  Some  one  will  come  to  see  you  this 
evening,  and  the  meeting  had  better  be  at  dawn  to- 
morrow." 

He  opened  his  eyes  very  wide.  "Who  is  it,  then?" 
he  asked. 

"Mr.  Charles  Grey  of  Grey's  Hundred,"  I  replied. 

This  made  him  whistle  low.     "He's  a  fine  swords- 

176 


I  STUMBLE  INTO  A  GREAT  FOLLY 

man,"  he  said.     "I  never  heard  there  was  any  better 
in  the  dominion.     You'll  be  to  fight  with  swords?" 

I  thought  hard  for  a  minute.  I  was  the  challenged 
and  so  had  the  choice  of  weapons.  "No,"  said  I,  "you 
are  to  appoint  pistols,  for  it  is  my  right." 

At  this  Faulkner  slowly  grinned.  "It's  a  new  weapon 
for  these  affairs.  What  if  they'll  not  accept?  But 
it's  no  business  of  mine,  and  I'll  remember  your 
wishes."  And  the  strange  fellow  turned  again  to  his 
accounts. 

I  spent  the  evening  looking  over  my  papers  and  mak- 
ing various  appointments  in  case  I  did  not  survive  the 
morrow.  Happily  the  work  I  had  undertaken  for 
Lawrence  was  all  but  finished,  and  of  my  ordinary 
business  Faulkner  knew  as  much  as  myself.  I  wrote  a 
letter  ot  Uncle  Andrew,  telling  him  frankly  the  situa- 
tion, that  he  might  know  how  little  choice  I  had.  It 
was  a  cold-blooded  job  making  these  dispositions,  and 
I  hope  never  to  have  the  like  to  do  again.  Presently 
I  heard  voices  outside,  and  Faulkner  came  to  the  door 
with  Mr.  George  Mason,  the  younger,  of  Thornby, 
who  passed  for  the  chief  buck  in  Virginia.  He  gave 
me  a  cold  bow. 

"I  have  settled  everything  with  this  gentleman,  but 
I  would  beg  of  you,  sir,  to  reconsider  your  choice  of 
arms.  My  friend  will  doubtless  be  ready  enough  to 
humour  you,  but  you  have  picked  a  barbarous  weapon 
for  Christian  use." 

"It's  my  only  means  of  defence,"  I  said. 

"Then  you  stick  to  your  decision?" 

"Assuredly,"  said  I,  and,  with  a  shrug  of  the  shoul- 
ders, he  departed. 

177 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

I  did  not  attempt  to  sleep.  Faulkner  told  me  that 
we  were  to  meet  the  next  morning  half  an  hour  after 
sunrise  at  a  place  in  the  forest  a  mile  distant.  Each 
man  was  to  fire  one  shot,  but  two  pistols  were  allowed 
in  case  of  a  misfire.  All  that  night  by  the  light  of  a 
lamp  I  got  my  weapons  ready.  I  summoned  to  my 
recollection  all  the  knowledge  I  had  acquired,  and 
made  sure  that  nothing  should  be  lacking  so  far  as 
human  skill  would  go.  I  had  another  pistol  besides  the 
one  I  called  ''Elspeth,"  also  made  in  Glasgow,  but  a 
thought  longer  in  the  barrel.  For  this  occasion  I 
neglected  cartouches,  and  loaded  in  the  old  way.  I 
tested  my  bullets  time  and  again,  and  weighed  out  the 
powder  as  if  it  had  been  gold  dust.  It  was  short  range, 
so  I  made  my  charges  small.  I  tried  my  old  device 
of  wrapping  each  bullet  in  soft  wool  smeared  with 
beeswax.  All  this  passed  the  midnight  hours,  and  then 
I  lay  down  for  a  little  rest,  but  not  for  sleep. 

I  was  glad  when  Faulkner  summoned  me  half  an 
hour  before  sunrise.  I  remember  that  I  bathed  head 
and  shoulders  in  cold  water,  and  very  carefully  dressed 
myself  in  my  best  clothes.  My  pistols  lay  in  the  box 
which  Faulkner  carried.  I  drank  a  glass  of  wine,  and 
as  we  left  I  took  a  long  look  at  the  place  I  had  created, 
and  the  river  now  lit  with  the  first  shafts  of  morning. 
I  wondered  incuriously  if  I  should  ever  see  it  again. 

My  tremors  had  all  gone  by  now,  and  I  was  In  a 
mood  of  cold,  thoughtless  despair.  The  earth  had 
never  looked  so  bright  as  we  rode  through  the  green 
aisles  all  filled  with  the  happy  song  of  birds.  Often  on 
such  a  morning  I  had  started  on  a  journey,  with  my 

178 


I  STUxMBLE  INTO  A  GREAT  FOLLY 

heart  grateful  for  the  goodness  of  the  world.  Could 
I  but  keep  the  road,  I  should  come  in  time  to  the 
swampy  bank  of  the  York;  and  then  would  follow  the 
chestnut  forest  and  the  wide  marshes  towards  the  Rap- 
pahannock; and  everywhere  I  should  meet  friendly 
human  faces,  and  then  at  night  I  should  eat  a  hunter's 
meal  below  the  stars.  But  that  was  all  past,  and  I 
was  moving  towards  death  in  a  foolish  strife  in  which 
I  had  no  heart,  and  where  I  could  find  no  honour.  I 
think  I  laughed  aloud  at  my  exceeding  folly. 

We  turned  from  the  path  into  an  alley  which  led 
to  an  open  space  on  the  edge  of  a  derelict  clearing. 
There,  to  my  surprise,  I  found  a  considerable  company 
assembled.  Grey  was  there  with  his  second,  and  a 
dozen  or  more  of  his  companions  stood  back  in  the 
shadow  of  the  trees.  The  young  blood  of  Virginia  had 
come  out  to  see  the  trader  punished. 

During  the  few  minutes  while  the  seconds  were  busy 
pacing  the  course  and  arranging  for  the  signal,  I  had 
no  cognizance  of  the  world  around  me.  I  stood  with 
abstracted  eyes  watching  a  grey  squirrel  in  one  of  the 
branches,  and  trying  to  recall  a  line  I  had  forgotten  in 
a  song.  There  seemed  to  be  two  Andrew  Garvalds 
that  morning,  one  filled  with  an  immense  careless  peace, 
and  the  other  a  w^eak  creature  who  had  lived  so  long 
ago  as  to  be  forgotten.  I  started  when  Faulkner  came 
to  place  me,  and  followed  him  without  a  word.  But 
as  I  stood  up  and  saw  Grey  twenty  paces  off,  turning 
up  his  wristbands  and  tossing  his  coat  to  a  friend,  I 
realized  the  business  I  had  come  on.  A  great  flood  of 
light  was  rolling  down  the  forest  aisles,  but  it  was  so 

179 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

clear  and  pure  that  it  did  not  dazzle.  I  remember 
thinking  in  that  moment  how  intolerable  had  become 
the  singing  of  birds. 

I  deadened  my  heart  to  memories,  took  my  courage 
in  both  hands,  and  forced  myself  to  the  ordeal.  For  it 
is  an  ordeal  to  face  powder  If  you  have  not  a  dreg  of 
passion  in  you,  and  are  resolved  to  make  no  return. 
I  am  left-handed,  and  so,  in  fronting  my  opponent,  I 
exposed  my  heart.  If  Grey  were  the  marksman  I 
thought  him,  now  was  his  chance  for  revenge. 

My  wits  were  calm  now,  and  my  senses  very  clear. 
I  heard  a  man  say  slowly  that  he  would  count  three 
and  then  drop  his  kerchief,  and  at  the  dropping  we 
should  fire.  Our  eyes  were  on  him  as  he  lifted  his 
hand  and  slowly  began, — 

"One— two " 

Then  I  looked  away,  for  the  signal  mattered  nothing 
to  me.  I  suddenly  caught  Grey's  eyes,  and  something 
whistled  past  my  ear,  cutting  the  lobe  and  shearing  off 
a  lock  of  hair.  I  did  not  heed  it.  What  filled  my  mind 
was  the  sight  of  my  enemy,  very  white  and  drawn  in  the 
face,  holding  a  smoking  pistol  and  staring  at  me. 

I  emptied  my  pistol  among  the  tree-tops. 

No  one  moved.  Grey  continued  to  stare,  leaning  a 
little  forward,  with  his  lips  working. 

Then  I  took  from  Faulkner  my  second  pistol.  My 
voice  came  out  of  my  throat,  funnily  cracked  as  If  from 
long  disuse. 

"Mr.  Grey,"  I  cried,  'T  would  not  have  you  think 
that  I  cannot  shoot." 

Forty  yards  from  me  on  the  edge  of  the  covert  a 

i8o 


I  STUMBLE  INTO  A  GREAT  FOLLY 

turkey  stood,  with  its  foolish,  inquisitive  head.  The 
sound  of  the  shots  had  brought  the  bird  out  to  see  what 
was  going  on.  It  stood  motionless,  blinking  its  eyes, 
the  very  mark  I  desired. 

I  pointed  to  it  with  my  right  hand,  flung  forward 
my  pistol,  and  fired.  It  rolled  over  as  dead  as  stone, 
and  Faulkner  walked  to  pick  it  up.  He  put  back  my 
pistols  in  the  box,  and  we  turned  to  seek  the  horses. 

Then  Grey  came  up  to  me.  His  mouth  was  hard- 
set,  but  the  lines  were  not  of  pride.  I  saw  that  he  too 
had  been  desperately  afraid,  and  I  rejoiced  that  others 
beside  me  had  been  at  breaking-point. 

"Our  quarrel  is  at  an  end,  sir?"  he  said,  and  his 
voice  was  hesitating. 

"Why,  yes,"  I  said.  "It  was  never  my  seeking, 
though  I  gave  the  offence." 

"I  have  behaved  like  a  cub,  sir,"  and  he  spoke  loud, 
so  that  all  could  hear.  "You  have  taught  me  a  lesson 
in  gentility.     Will  you  give  me  your  hand?" 

I  could  find  no  words,  and  dumbly  held  out  my  right 
hand. 

"Nay,  sir,"  he  said,  "the  other,  the  one  that  held  the 
trigger.  I  count  it  a  privilege  to  hold  the  hand  of  a 
brave  man." 

I  had  been  tried  too  hard,  and  was  all  but  proving 
my  bravery  by  weeping  like  a  bairn. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

A  WILD  WAGER 

THAT  July  morning  in  the  forest  gave  me,  if  not 
popularity,  at  any  rate  peace.  I  had  made  good 
my  position.  Henceforth  the  word  went  out  that  I  was 
to  be  let  alone.  Some  of  the  young  men,  indeed, 
showed  signs  of  affecting  my  society,  including  that 
Mr.  Kent  of  Gracedieu  who  had  been  stripped  by 
Ringan.  The  others  treated  me  with  courtesy,  and  I 
replied  with  my  best  manners.  Most  of  them  were  of 
a  different  world  to  mine,  and  we  could  not  mix,  so 
'twas  right  that  our  deportment  should  be  that  of  two 
dissimilar  but  amiable  nations  bowing  to  each  other 
across  a  frontier.  ^ 

All  this  was  a  great  ease,  but  it  brought  one  rueful 
consequence.  Elspeth  grew  cold  to  me.  Women,  I 
suppose,  have  to  condescend,  and  protect,  and  pity. 
When  I  was  an  outcast  she  was  ready  to  shelter  me; 
but  now  that  I  was  in  some  degree  of  favour  with 
others  the  need  for  this  was  gone,  and  she  saw  me 
without  illusion  in  all  my  angularity  and  roughness. 
She  must  have  heard  of  the  duel,  and  jumped  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  quarrel  had  been  about  herself, 
which  was  not  the  truth.     The  notion  irked  her  pride, 

182 


A  WILD  WAGER 

that  her  name  should  ever  be  brought  into  the  brawls 
of  men.  When  I  passed  her  in  the  streets  she  greeted 
me  coldly,  and  all  friendliness  had  gone  out  of  her  eyes. 

My  days  were  so  busy  that  I  had  little  leisure  for 
brooding,  but  at  odd  moments  I  would  fall  into  a  deep 
melancholy.  She  had  lived  so  constantly  in  my  thoughts 
that  without  her  no  project  charmed  me.  What  mat- 
tered wealth  or  fame,  I  thought,  if  she  did  not  ap- 
prove? What  availed  my  striving,  if  she  were  not 
to  share  in  the  reward?  I  was  in  this  mood  when  I  was 
bidden  by  Doctor  Blair  to  sup  at  his  house. 

I  went  thither  in  much  trepidation,  for  I  feared  a 
grpat  company,  in  which  I  might  have  no  chance  of  a 
w<$rd  from  her.  But  I  found  only  the  Governor,  who 
was  In  a  black  humour,  and  disputed  every  word  that 
fell  from  the  Doctor's  mouth.  This  turned  the  meal 
into  one  long  wrangle,  in  which  the  high  fundamentals 
of  government  in  Church  and  State  were  debated  by 
two  choleric  gentlemen.  The  girl  and  I  had  no  share 
in  the  conversation;  indeed,  we  were  clearly  out  of 
place:  so  she  could  not  refuse  when  I  proposed  a  walk 
in  the  garden.  The  place  was  all  cool  and  dewy  after 
the  scorching  day,  and  the  bells  of  the  flowers  made  the 
air  heavy  with  fragrance.  Somewhere  near  a  man  was 
playing  on  the  flageolet,  a  light,  pretty  tune  which  set 
her  feet  tripping. 

I  asked  her  bluntly  wherein  I  had  offended. 

"Offended!"  she  cried.  "Why  should  I  take  of- 
fence? I  see  you  once  in  a  blue  moon.  You  flatter 
yourself  strangely,  Mr.  Garvald,  if  you  think  you  are 
ever  in  my  thoughts." 

183 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

"You  are  never  out  of  mine,"  I  said  dismally. 

At  this  she  laughed,  something  of  the  old  elfin  laugh- 
ter which  I  had  heard  on  the  wet  moors. 

"A  compliment!"  she  cried.  "To  be  mixed  up 
eternally  with  the  weights  of  tobacco  and  the  prices  of 
Flemish  lace.  You  are  growing  a  very  pretty  cour- 
tier, sir." 

"I  am  no  courtier,"  I  said.  "I  think  brave  things  of 
you,  though  I  have  not  the  words  to  fit  them.  But  one 
thing  I  will  say  to  you.  Since  ever  you  sang  to  the  boy 
that  once  was  me  your  spell  has  been  on  my  soul.  And 
when  I  saw  you  again  three  months  back  that  spell  was 
changed  from  the  whim  of  youth  to  what  men  call 
love.  Oh,  I  know  well  there  Is  no  hope  for  me.  I  am 
not  fit  to  tie  your  shoe-latch.  But  you  have  made  a  fire 
in  my  cold  life,  and  you  will  pardon  me  if  I  dare 
warm  my  hands.  The  sun  Is  brighter  because  of  you, 
and  the  flowers  fairer,  and  the  birds'  song  sweeter. 
Grant  me  this  little  boon,  that  I  may  think  of  you. 
Have  no  fears  that  I  will  pester  you  with  attentions. 
No  priest  ever  served  his  goddess  with  a  remoter 
reverence  than  mine  for  you." 

She  stopped  in  an  alley  of  roses  and  looked  me  in 
the  face.     In  the  dusk  I  could  not  see  her  eyes. 

"Fine  words,"  she  said.  "Yet  I  hear  that  you  have 
been  wrangling  over  me  with  Mr.  Charles  Grey,  and 
exchanging  pistol  shots.    Is  that  your  reverence?" 

In  a  sentence  I  told  her  the  truth.  "They  forced 
my  back  to  the  wall,"  I  said,  "and  there  was  no  other 
way.  I  have  never  uttered  your  name  to  a  living 
soul." 

184 


A  WILD  WAGER 

Was  It  my  fancy  that  when  she  spoke  again  there 
was  a  faint  accent  of  disappointment? 

"You  are  an  uncomfortable  being,  Mr.  Garvald. 
It  seems  you  are  predestined  to  keep  Virginia  from 
sloth.  For  myself  I  am  for  the  roses  and  the  old 
quiet  ways." 

She  plucked  two  flowers,  one  white  and  one  of  deep- 
est crimson. 

"I  pardon  you,"  she  said,  "and  for  token  I  will 
give  you  a  rose.  It  is  red,  for  that  is  your  turbulent 
colour.     The  white  flower  of  peace  shall  be  mine." 

I  took  the  gift,  and  laid  it  in  my  bosom. 

Two  days  later,  it  being  a  Monday,  I  dined  with 
his  Excellency  at  the  Governor's  house  at  Middle 
Plantation.  The  place  had  been  built  new  for  my 
lord  Culpepper,  since  the  old  mansion  at  James  Town 
had  been  burned  in  Bacon's  rising.  The  company  was 
mainly  of  young  men,  but  three  ladies — the  mistresses 
of  Arlington  and  Cobwell  Manors,  and  Elspeth  in  a 
new  saffron  gown — varied  with  their  laces  the  rich 
coats  of  the  men.  I  was  pleasantly  welcomed  by  every- 
body. Grey  came  forward  and  greeted  me,  very  quiet 
and  civil,  and  I  sat  by  him  throughout  the  meal.  The 
Governor  was  in  high  good  humour,  and  presently  had 
the  whole  company  in  the  same  mood.  Of  them  all, 
Elspeth  was  the  merriest.  She  had  the  quickest  wit 
and  the  deftest  skill  in  mimicry,  and  there  was  that  in 
her  laughter  which  would  infect  the  glummest. 

That  very  day  I  had  finished  my  preparations.  The 
train  was  now  laid,  and  the  men  were  ready,  and  a  word 

185 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

from  Lawrence  would  line  the  West  with  muskets. 
But  I  had  none  of  the  satisfaction  of  a  completed  work. 
It  was  borne  in  upon  me  that  our  task  was  scarcely  be- 
gun, and  that  the  peril  that  threatened  us  was  far 
darker  than  we  had  dreamed.  Ringan's  tale  of  a  white 
leader  among  the  tribes  was  always  in  my  head.  The 
hall  where  we  sat  was  lined  with  portraits  of  men 
who  had  borne  rule  in  Virginia.  There  was  Captain 
John  Smith,  trim-bearded  and  bronzed;  and  Argall  and 
Dale,  grave  and  soldierly;  there  was  Francis  Wyat, 
with  the  scar  got  in  Indian  wars;  there  hung  the  mean 
and  sallow  countenance  of  Sir  John  Harvey.  There, 
too,  was  Berkeley,  with  his  high  complexion  and  his 
love-locks,  the  great  gentleman  of  a  vanished  age;  and 
the  gross  rotundity  of  Culpepper;  and  the  furtive  eye 
of  my  lord  Howard,  who  was  even  now  the  reigning 
Governor.  There  was  a  noble  picture  of  King  Charles 
the  Second,  who  alone  of  monarchs  was  represented. 
Soft-footed  lackeys  carried  viands  and  wines,  and  the 
table  was  a  mingling  of  silver  and  roses.  The  after- 
noon light  came  soft  through  the  trellis,  and  you  could 
not  have  looked  for  a  fairer  picture  of  settled  ease. 
Yet  I  had  that  in  my  mind  which  shattered  the  picture. 
We  were  feasting  like  the  old  citizens  of  buried  Pom- 
peii, with  the  lava  even  now,  perhaps,  flowing  hot  from 
the  mountains.  I  looked  at  the  painted  faces  on  the 
walls,  and  wondered  which  I  would  summon  to  our  aid 
if  I  could  call  men  from  the  dead.  Smith,  I  thought, 
would  be  best;  but  I  reflected  uneasily  that  Smith  would 
never  have  let  things  come  to  such  a  pass.  At  the  first 
hint  of  danger  he  would  have  been  off  to  the  West 
to  scotch  it  in  the  egg. 

i86 


A  WILD  WAGER 

I  was  so  filled  with  sober  reflections  that  I  talked 
little ;  but  there  was  no  need  of  me.  Youth  and  beauty 
reigned,  and  the  Governor  was  as  gay  as  the  youngest. 
Many  asked  me  to  take  wine  with  them,  and  the  com- 
pliment pleased  me.  There  was  singing,  likewise — 
Sir  William  Davenant's  song  to  his  mistress,  and  a  Cav- 
alier rant  or  two,  and  a  throaty  ditty  of  the  seas;  and 
Elspeth  sang  very  sweetly  the  old  air  of  "Green- 
sleeves."  We  drank  all  the  toasts  of  fashion — His 
Majesty  of  England,  confusion  to  the  French,  the 
health  of  Virginia,  rich  harvests,  full  cellars,  and  pretty 
dames.  Presently  when  we  had  waxed  very  cheerful, 
and  wine  had  risen  to  several  young  heads,  the  Gov- 
ernor called  on  us  to  brim  our  glasses. 

"Be  it  known,  gentlemen,  and  you,  fair  ladies,"  he 
cried,  "that  to-day  is  a  more  auspicious  occasion  than 
any  Royal  festival  or  Christian  holy  day.  To-day  is 
Dulcinea's  birthday.  I  summon  you  to  drink  to  the 
flower  of  the  West,  the  brightest  gem  In  Virginia's 
coronal." 

At  that  we  were  all  on  our  feet.  The  gentlemen 
snapped  the  stems  of  their  glasses  to  honour  the  sacred- 
ness  of  the  toast,  and  there  was  such  a  shouting  and 
pledging  as  might  well  have  turned  a  girl's  head.  Els- 
peth sat  still  and  smiling.  The  mockery  had  gone  out 
of  her  eyes,  and  I  thought  they  were  wet.  No  Queen 
had  ever  a  nobler  salutation,  and  my  heart  warmed  to 
the  generous  company.  Whatever  its  faults,  it  did  due 
homage  to  beauty  and  youth. 

Governor  Francis  was  again  on  his  feet. 

"I  have  a  birthday  gift  for  the  fair  one.     You  must 
know  that  once  at  Whitehall  I  played  at  cartes  with 

187 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

my  lord  Culpepper,  and  the  stake  on  his  part  was  one- 
sixth  portion  of  that  Virginian  territory  which  is  his 
freehold.  I  won,  and  my  lord  conveyed  the  grant  to 
me  in  a  deed  properly  attested  by  the  attorneys.  We 
call  the  place  the  Northern  Neck,  and  'tis  all  the  land 
between  the  Rappahannock  and  the  Potomac  as  far 
west  as  the  sunset.  It  is  undivided,  but  my  lord  stipu- 
lated that  my  portion  should  lie  from  the  mountains 
westward.  What  good  is  such  an  estate  to  an  ageing 
bachelor  like  me,  who  can  never  visit  it?  But  'tis  a  fine 
inheritance  for  youth,  and  I  propose  to  convey  it  to 
Dulcinea  as  a  birthday  gift.  Some  day,  I  doubt  not, 
'twill  be  the  Eden  of  America." 

At  this  there  was  a  great  crying  out  and  some  laugh- 
ter, which  died  away  when  it  appeared  that  the  Gov- 
ernor spoke  in  all  seriousness. 

"I  make  one  condition,"  he  went  on.  "Twenty  years 
back  there  was  an  old  hunter,  called  Studd,  who  pene- 
trated the  mountains.  He  travelled  to  the  head-waters 
of  the  Rapidan,  and  pierced  the  hills  by  a  pass  which 
he  christened  Clearwater  Gap.  He  climbed  the  high- 
est mountain  in  those  parts,  and  built  a  cairn  on  the 
summit,  in  which  he  hid  a  powder-horn  with  a  writing 
within.  He  was  the  first  to  make  the  journey,  and  none 
have  followed  him.  The  man  is  dead  now,  but  he  told 
me  the  tale,  and  I  will  pledge  my  honour  that  it  is  true. 
It  is  for  Dulcinea  to  choose  a  champion  to  follow 
Studd's  path  and  bring  back  his  powder-horn.  On  the 
day  I  receive  it  she  takes  sasine  of  her  heritage.  Which 
of  you  gallants  offers  for  the  venture?" 

To  this  day  I  do  not  know  what  were  Francis  Nichol- 

i88 


A  WILD  WAGER 

son's  motives.  He  wished  the  mountain  crossed,  but 
he  cannot  have  expected  to  meet  a  pathfinder  among 
the  youth  of  the  Tidewater.  I  think  it  was  the  whim  of 
the  moment.  He  would  endow  Elspeth,  and  at  the 
same  time  test  her  cavaliers.  To  the  ordinary  man  it 
seemed  the  craziest  folly.  Studd  had  been  a  wild  fellow, 
half  Indian  in  blood  and  wholly  Indian  in  habits,  and 
for  another  to  travel  fifty  miles  into  the  heart  of  the 
desert  was  to  embrace  destruction.  The  company  sat 
very  silent.  Elspeth,  with  a  blushing  cheek,  turned 
troubled  eyes  on  the  speaker. 

As  for  me,  I  had  found  the  chance  I  wanted.  I  was 
on  my  feet  in  a  second.  "I  will  go,"  I  said;  and  I  had 
hardly  spoken  when  Grey  was  beside  me,  crying, 
''And  I." 

Still  the  company  sat  silent.  'Twas  as  if  the  shadow 
of  a  sterner  life  had  come  over  their  young  gaiety. 
Elspeth  did  not  look  at  me,  but  sat  with  cast-down 
eyes,  plucking  feverishly  at  a  rose.  The  Governor 
laughed  out  loud. 

"Brave  hearts!"  he  cried.  "Will  you  travel  to- 
gether?" 

I  looked  at  Grey.    "That  can  hardly  be,"  he  said. 

"Well,  we  must  spin  for  it,"  said  Nicholson,  taking 
a  guinea  from  his  pocket.  "Royals  for  Mr.  Garvald, 
quarters  for  Mr.  Grey,"  he  cried  as  he  spun  it. 

It  fell  Royals.  We  had  both  been  standing,  and 
Grey  now  bowed  to  me  and  sat  down.  His  face  was 
very  pale  and  his  lips  tightly  shut. 

The  Governor  gave  a  last  toast.  "Let  us  drink,"  he 
called,  "to  Dulcinea's  champion  and  the  fortunes  of 

189 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

his  journey."  At  that  there  was  such  applause  you 
might  have  thought  me  the  best-liked  man  in  the  do- 
minion. I  looked  at  Elspeth,  but  she  averted  her  eyes. 
As  we  left  the  table  I  stepped  beside  Grey.  "You 
must  come  with  me,"  I  whispered.  "Nay,  do  not  re- 
fuse. When  you  know  all  you  will  come  gladly."  And 
I  appointed  a  meeting  on  the  next  day  at  the  Half-way 
Tavern. 

I  got  to  my  house  at  the  darkening,  and  found  Rin- 
gan  waiting  for  me. 

This  time  he  had  not  sought  a  disguise,  but  he  kept 
his  fiery  head  covered  with  a  broad  hat,  and  the  collar 
of  his  seaman's  coat  enveloped  his  lower  face.  To  a 
passer-by  in  the  dusk  he  must  have  seemed  an  ordinary 
ship's  captain  stretching  his  legs  on  land. 

He  asked  for  food  and  drink,  and  I  observed  that  his 
manner  was  very  grave. 

"Are  things  in  train,  Andrew?"  he  asked. 

I  told  him  "to  the  last  stirrup  buckle." 

"It's  as  well,"  said  he,  "for  the  trouble  has  begun." 

Then  he  told  me  a  horrid  tale.  The  Rapidan  is  a 
stream  in  the  north  of  the  dominion,  flowing  into  the 
Rappahannock  on  its  south  bank.  Two  years  past  a 
family  of  French  folk — D'Aubigny  was  their  name — 
had  made  a  home  in  a  meadow  by  that  stream  and  built 
a  house  and  a  strong  stockade,  for  they  were  in  danger- 
ous nearness  to  the  hills,  and  had  no  neighbours  within 
forty  miles.  They  were  gentlefolk  of  some  substance, 
and  had  carved  out  of  the  wilderness  a  very  pretty 
manor  with  orchards  and  flower  gardens.    I  had  never 

190 


A  WILD  WAGER 

been  to  the  place,  but  I  had  heard  the  praise  of  it  from 
dwellers  on  the  Rappahannock.  No  Indians  came  near 
them,  and  there  they  abode,  happy  in  their  solitude — 
a  husband  and  wife,  three  little  children,  two  French 
servants,  and  a  dozen  negroes. 

A  week  ago  tragedy  had  come  like  a  thunderbolt. 
At  night  the  stockade  was  broke,  and  the  family  woke 
from  sleep  to  hear  the  warwhoop  and  see  by  the  light 
of  their  blazing  byres  a  band  of  painted  savages.  It 
seems  that  no  resistance  was  possible,  and  they  were 
butchered  like  sheep.  The  babes  were  pierced  with 
stakes,  the  grown  folk  were  scalped  and  tortured,  and 
by  sunrise  in  that  peaceful  clearing  there  was  nothing 
but  blood-stained  ashes. 

Word  had  come  down  the  Rappahannock.  Ringan 
said  he  had  heard  it  in  Accomac,  and  had  sailed  to 
Sabine  to  make  sure.  Men  had  ridden  out  from  Staf- 
ford county,  and  found  no  more  than  a  child's  toy  and 
some  bloody  garments. 

"Who  did  it?"  I  asked,  with  fury  rising  in  my  heart. 

"It's  Cherokee  work.  There's  nothing  strange  in  it, 
except  that  such  a  deed  should  have  been  dared.  But 
it  means  the  beginning  of  our  business.  D'you  think 
the  Stafford  folk  will  sleep  in  their  beds  after  that? 
And  that's  precisely  what  perplexes  me.  The  Governor 
will  be  bound  to  send  an  expedition  against  the  mur- 
derers, and  they'll  not  be  easy  found.  But  while  the 
militia  are  routing  about  on  the  Rapidan,  what  hinders 
the  big  invasion  to  come  down  the  James  or  the  Chicka- 
hominy  or  the  Pamunkey  or  the  Mattaponey  and  find 
a  defenceless  Tidewater?     As  I  see  it,  there's  deep 

191 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

guile  in  this  business.  A  Cherokee  murder  is  nothing 
out  of  the  way,  but  these  blackguards  were  not  killing 
for  mere  pleasure.  As  I've  said  before,  I  would  give 
my  right  hand  to  have  better  information.  It's  this 
land  business  that  fickles  one.  If  it  were  a  matter  of 
islands  and  ocean  bays,  I  would  have  long  ago  riddled 
out  the  heart  of  it." 

"We're  on  the  way  to  get  news,"  I  said,  and  I  told 
him  of  my  wager  that  evening. 

*'Man,  Andrew!"  he  cried,  "it's  providential. 
There's  nothing  to  hinder  you  and  me  and  a  few  others 
to  ride  clear  into  the  hills,  with  the  Tidewater  thinking 
it  no  more  than  a  play  of  daft  young  men.  You  must 
see  Nicholson,  and  get  him  to  hold  his  hand  till  we 
send  him  word.  In  two  days  Lawrence  will  be  here, 
and  we  can  post  our  lads  on  each  of  the  rivers,  for  it's 
likely  any  Indian  raid  will  take  one  of  the  valleys.  You 
must  see  that  Governor  of  yours  first  thing  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  get  him  to  promise  to  wait  on  your  news.  Then 
he  can  get  out  his  militia,  and  stir  up  the  Tidewater. 
Will  he  do  it,  think  you?" 

I  said  I  thought  he  would. 

"And  there's  one  other  thing.  Would  he  agree  to 
turning  a  blind  eye  to  Lawrence,  if  he  comes  back? 
He'll  not  trouble  them  in  James  Town,  but  he's  the 
only  man  alive  to  direct  our  own  lads." 

I  said  I  would  try,  but  I  was  far  from  certain.  It 
was  hard  to  forecast  the  mind  of  Governor  Francis. 

"Well,  Lawrence  will  come  whether  or  no.  You 
can  sound  the  man,  and  if  he's  dour  let  the  matter  be. 
Lawrence  is  now  on  the  Roanoke,  and  his  plan  is  to 

192 


A  WILD  WAGER 

send  out  the  word  to-morrow,  and  gather  In  the  posts. 
He'll  come  to  Frew's  place  on  the  South  Fork  River, 
which  is  about  the  middle  of  the  frontier  line.  To-day 
is  Monday,  to-morrow  the  word  will  go  out,  by  Friday 
the  men  will  be  ready,  and  Lawrence  will  be  in  Vir- 
ginia. The  sooner  you're  off  the  better,  Andrew.  What 
do  you  say  to  Wednesday?" 

"That  day  will  suit  me  fine,"  I  said ;  "but  what  about 
my  company?" 

"The  fewer  the  better.  Who  were  you  thinking 
of?" 

"You  for  one,"  I  said,  "and  Shalah  for  a  second." 

He  nodded. 

"I  want  two  men  from  the  Rappahannock — a  hunter 
of  the  name  of  Donaldson  and  the  Frenchman  Ber- 
trand." 

"That  makes  five.  Would  you  like  to  even  the  num- 
ber?" 

"Yes,"  I  said.  "There's  a  gentleman  of  the  Tide- 
water, Mr.  Charles  Grey,  that  I've  bidden  to  the  ven- 
ture." 

Ringan  whistled.  "Are  you  sure  that's  wise? 
There'll  be  little  use  for  braw  clothes  and  fine  manners 
in  the  hills." 

"All  the  same  there'll  be  a  use  for  Mr.  Grey.  When 
will  you  join  us?" 

"I've  a  bit  of  business  to  do  hereaways,  but  I'll  catch 
you  up.  Look  for  me  at  Aird's  store  on  Thursday 
morning." 


CHAPTER  XV 

I  GATHER  THE  CLANS 

I  WAS  at  the  Governor's  house  next  day  before  he 
had  breakfasted.  He  greeted  me  laughingly. 
"Has  the  champion  come  to  cry  forfeit?"  he  asked. 
It  is  a  long,  sore  road  to  the  hills,  Mr.  Garvald." 
I've  come  to  make  confession,"  I  said,  and  I 
plunged  into  my  story  of  the  work  of  the  last  months. 
He  heard  me  with  lowering  brows.  "Who  the  devil 
made  you  Governor  of  this  dominion,  sir?  You  have 
been  levying  troops  without  His  Majesty's  permission. 
Your  offence  is  no  less  than  high  treason.  I've  a  pretty 
mind  to  send  you  to  the  guard-house." 

"I  implore  you  to  hear  me  patiently,"  I  cried.  Then 
I  told  him  what  I  had  learned  in  the  Carolinas  and  at 
the  outland  farms.  "You  yourself  told  me  it  was  hope- 
less to  look  for  a  guinea  from  the  Council.  I  was  but 
carrying  out  your  desires.  Can  you  blame  me  if  I've 
toiled  for  the  public  weal  and  neglected  my  own  for- 
tunes?" 

He  was  scarcely  appeased.  "You're  a  damnable 
kind  of  busybody,  sir,  the  breed  of  fellow  that  plunges 
states  into  revolutions.  Why,  in  Heaven's  name,  did 
you  not  consult  me?" 

"Because  it  was  wiser  not  to,"  I  said  stoutly.    "Half 

194 


I  GATHER  THE  CLANS 

my  recruits  are  old  soldiers  of  Bacon.  If  the  trouble 
blows  past,  they  go  back  to  their  steadings  and  nothing 
more  is  heard  of  it.  If  trouble  comes,  who  are  such 
natural  defenders  of  the  dominion  as  the  frontier 
dwellers?  All  I  have  done  is  to  give  them  the  sinews 
of  war.  But  if  Governor  Nicholson  had  taken  up  the 
business,  and  it  were  known  that  he  had  leaned  on  old 
rebels,  what  would  the  Council  say?  What  would  have 
been  the  view  of  my  lord  Howard  and  the  wiseacres 
in  London?" 

He  said  nothing,  but  knit  his  brows.  My  words  were 
too  much  in  tune  with  his  declared  opinions  for  him  to 
gainsay  them. 

"It  comes  to  this,  then,"  he  said  at  length.  "You 
have  raised  a  body  of  men  who  are  waiting  marching 
orders.     What  next,  Mr.  Garvald?" 

"The  next  thing  is  to  march.  After  what  befell  on 
the  Rapidan,  we  cannot  sit  still." 

He  started.     "I  have  heard  nothing  of  it." 

Then  I  told  him  the  horrid  tale.  He  got  to  his  feet 
and  strode  up  and  down  the  room,  with  his  dark  face 
working. 

"God's  mercy,  what  a  calamity!  I  knew  the  folk. 
They  came  here  with  letters  from  his  Grace  of  Shrews- 
bury.   Are  you  certain  your  news  is  true?" 

"Alas!  there  is  no  doubt.  Stafford  county  is  in  a 
ferment,  and  the  next  post  from  the  York  will  bring 
you  word." 

"Then,  by  God,  it  is  for  me  to  move.  No  Council 
or  Assembly  will  dare  gainsay  me.  I  can  order  a  levy 
by  virtue  of  His  Majesty's  commission." 

195 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

"I  have  come  to  pray  you  to  hold  your  hand  till  I 
send  you  better  intelligence,"  I  said. 

His  brows  knit  again.  "But  this  is  too  much.  Am 
I  to  refrain  from  doing  my  duty  till  I  get  your  gracious 
consent,  sir?" 

"Nay,  nay,"  I  cried.  "Do  not  misunderstand  me. 
This  thing  is  far  graver  than  you  think,  sir.  If  you 
send  your  levies  to  the  Rapidan,  you  leave  the  Tide- 
water defenceless,  and  while  you  are  hunting  a  Che- 
rokee party  in  the  north,  the  enemy  will  be  hammering 
at  your  gates." 

"What  enemy?"  he  asked. 

"I  do  not  know,  and  that  is  what  I  go  to  find  out." 
Then  I  told  him  all  I  had  gathered  about  the  unknown 
force  in  the  hills,  and  the  apparent  strategy  of  a  cam- 
paign which  was  beyond  an  Indian's  wits.  "There  Is 
a  white  man  at  the  back  of  It,"  I  said,  "a  white  man 
who  talks  In  Bible  words  and  Is  mad  for  devastation." 

His  face  had  grown  very  solemn.  He  went  to  a 
bureau,  unlocked  It,  and  took  from  a  drawer  a  bit  of 
paper,  which  he  tossed  to  me. 

"I  had  that  a  week  past  to-morrow.  My  servant 
got  it  from  an  Indian  In  the  woods." 

It  was  a  dirty  scrap,  folded  like  a  letter,  and  bear- 
ing the  superscription,  ''To  the  man  Francis  Nicholson, 
presently  Governor  in  Virginia."   I  opened  it  and  read: 

"Thou  comest  to  me  with  a  sword  and  with  a  spear 
and  with  a  shield:  hut  I  co?ne  to  thee  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  of  Hosts,  the  God  of  the  armies  of  Israel,  whom 
thou  hast  defied." 

"There,"  I  cried,  "there  is  proof  of  my  fears.  What 

196 


I  GATHER  THE  CLANS 

kind  of  Indian  sends  a  message  like  that?  Trust  me, 
sir,  there  is  a  far  more  hellish  mischief  brewing  than 
any  man  wots  of." 

"It  looks  not  unlike  it,"  he  said  grimly.  "Now  let's 
hear  what  you  propose." 

"I  can  have  my  men  at  their  posts  by  the  week  end. 
We  will  string  them  out  along  the  frontier,  and  hold 
especially  the  river  valleys.  If  invasion  comes,  then 
at  any  rate  the  Tidewater  will  get  early  news  of  it. 
Meantime  I  and  my  friends,  looking  for  Studd's  pow- 
der-horn, with  a  mind  to  confirm  your  birthday  gift  to 
Miss  Elspeth  Blair,  will  push  on  to  the  hills  and  learn 
what  is  to  be  learned  there." 

"You  will  never  come  back,"  he  said  tartly.  "An 
Indian  stake  and  a  bloody  head  will  be  the  end  of  all 

you. 

"Maybe,"  I  said,  "though  I  have  men  with  me  that 
can  play  the  Indian  game.  But  if  in  ten  days' 
time  from  now  you  get  no  word,  then  you  can  fear  the 
worst,  and  set  your  militia  going.  I  have  a  service  of 
posts  which  will  carry  news  to  you  as  quick  as  a  carrier 
pigeon.  Whatever  we  learn  you  shall  hear  of  without 
delay,  and  you  can  make  your  dispositions  accordingly. 
If  the  devils  find  us  first,  then  get  in  touch  with  my  men 
at  Frew's  homestead  on  the  South  Fork  River,  for  that 
will  be  the  headquarters  of  the  frontier  army." 

"Who  will  be  in  command  there  when  you  are  galli- 
vanting in  the  hills?"  he  asked. 

"One  whose  name  had  better  not  be  spoken.  He 
lies  under  sentence  of  death  by  Virginian  law;  but,  be- 
lieve me,  he   is   an  honest  soul   and  a   good  patriot, 

197 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

and  he  is  the  one  man  born  to  lead  these  outland 
troops." 

He  smiled.  "His  Christain  name  is  Richard,  may- 
be? I  think  I  know  your  outlaw.  But  let  it  pass.  I 
ask  no  names.  In  these  bad  times  we  cannot  afford  to 
despise  any  man's  aid." 

He  pulled  out  a  chart  of  Virginia,  and  I  marked  for 
him  our  posts,  and  indicated  the  line  of  my  own  jour- 
ney. 

"Have  you  ever  been  in  the  wars,  Mr.  Garvald?" 
he  asked. 

I  told  him  no. 

"Well,  you  have  a  very  pretty  natural  gift  for  the 
military  art.  Your  men  will  screen  the  frontier  line, 
and  behind  that  screen  I  will  get  our  militia  force  in 
order,  while  meantime  you  are  reconnoitring  the 
enemy.  It's  a  very  fair  piece  of  strategy.  But  I  am 
mortally  certain  you  yourself  will  never  come  back." 

The  odd  thing  was  that  at  that  moment  I  did  not 
fear  for  myself.  I  had  lived  so  long  with  my  scheme 
that  I  had  come  to  look  upon  it  almost  like  a  trading 
venture,  in  which  one  calculates  risks  and  gains  on 
paper,  and  thinks  no  more  of  it.  I  had  none  of  the 
black  fright  which  I  had  suffered  before  my  meeting 
with  Grey.  Happily,  though  a  young  man's  thoughts 
may  be  long,  his  fancy  takes  short  views.  I  was  far 
more  concerned  with  what  might  happen  in  my  absence 
in  the  Tidewater  than  with  our  fate  in  the  hills. 

"It  is  a  gamble,"  I  said,  "but  the  stakes  are  noble, 
and  I  have  a  private  pride  in  its  success.'* 

"Also  the  goad  of  certain  bright  eyes,"  he  said, 

198 


I  GATHER  THE  CLANS 

smiling.  "Little  I  thought,  when  I  made  that  offer 
last  night,  I  was  setting  so  desperate  a  business  in 
train.  There  was  a  good  Providence  in  that.  For 
now  we  can  give  out  that  you  are  gone  on  a  madcap 
ploy,  and  there  will  be  no  sleepless  nights  in  the  Tide- 
water. I  must  keep  their  souls  easy,  for  once  they  are 
scared  there  will  be  such  a  spate  of  letters  to  New 
York  as  will  weaken  the  courage  of  our  Northern 
brethren.  For  the  militia  I  will  give  the  excuse  of  the 
French  menace.  The  good  folk  will  laugh  at  me  for 
it,  but  they  will  not  take  fright.  God's  truth,  but  it 
is  a  devilish  tangle.  I  could  wish  I  had  your  part,  sir, 
and  be  free  to  ride  out  on  a  gallant  venture.  Here  I 
have  none  of  the  zest  of  war,  but  only  a  thousand  cares 
and  the  carking  task  of  soothing  fools." 

We  spoke  of  many  things,  and  I  gave  him  a  full 
account  of  the  composition  and  strength  of  our  levies. 
When  I  left  he  paid  me  a  compliment,  which,  coming 
from  so  sardonic  a  soul,  gave  me  peculiar  comfort. 

"I  have  seen  something  of  men  and  cities,  sir,"  he 
said,  "and  I  know  well  the  foibles  and  the  strength  of 
my  countrymen;  but  I  have  never  met  your  equal  for 
cold  persistence.  You  are  a  trader,  and  have  turned 
war  into  a  trading  venture.  I  do  believe  that  when 
you  are  at  your  last  gasp  you  will  be  found  calmly 
casting  up  your  accounts  with  life.  And  I  think  you 
will  find  a  balance  on  the  right  side.  God  speed  you, 
Mr.  Garvald.    I  love  your  sober  folly." 

I  had  scarcely  left  him  when  I  met  a  servant  of  the 
Blairs,  who  handed  me  a  letter.     'Twas  from  Elspeth 

199 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

— the  first  she  had  ever  written  me.  I  tore  it  open, 
and  found  a  very  disquieting  epistle.  Clearly  she  had 
written  it  in  a  white  heat  of  feeling.  ''You  spoke  finely 
of  reverence,"  she  wrote,  "and  how  you  had  never 
named  my  name  to  a  mortal  soul.  But  to-night  you  have 
put  7ne  to  open  shame.  You  have  offered  yourself  for 
a  service  which  I  did  not  seek.  What  care  I  for  his 
Excellency's  gifts?  Shall  it  be  said  that  I  was  the 
means  of  sending  a  man  into  deadly  danger  to  secure 
me  a  foolish  estate?  You  have  offended  me  grossly, 
and  I  pray  you  spare  me  further  offence.  I  command 
you  to  give  up  this  journey.  I  will  not  have  my  name 
bandied  about  in  this  land  as  a  wanton  who  sets  silly 
youth  by  the  ears  to  gratify  her  pride.  If  you  desire  to 
retain  a  shred  of  my  friendship,  go  to  his  Excellency 
and  tell  him  that  by  my  orders  you  withdraw  from  the 
wager." 

This  letter  did  not  cloud  my  spirits  as  it  should. 
For  one  thing,  she  signed  it  "Elspeth,"  and  for  another, 
I  had  the  conceited  notion  that  what  moved  her  most 
was  the  thought  that  I  was  running  into  danger.  I 
longed  to  have  speech  with  her,  but  I  found  from  the 
servant  that  Doctor  Blair  had  left  that  morning  on  a 
journey  of  pastoral  visitation,  and  had  taken  her  with 
him.  The  man  did  not  know  their  destination,  but 
believed  it  to  be  somewhere  in  the  north.  The  thought 
vaguely  disquieted  me.  In  these  perilous  times  I  wished 
to  think  of  her  as  safe  in  the  coastlands,  where  a  ship 
would  give  a  sure  refuge. 

I  met  Grey  that  afternoon  at  the  Half-way  Tavern. 
In  the  last  week  he  seemed  to  have  aged  and  grown 

200 


I  GATHER  THE  CLANS 

graver.  There  was  now  no  hint  of  the  light  arrogance 
of  old.  He  regarded  me  curiously,  but  without  hos- 
tility. 

"We  have  been  enemies,"  I  said,  "and  now  though 
there  may  be  no  friendship,  at  any  rate  there  Is  a  truce 
to  strife.  Last  night  I  begged  of  you  to  come  with 
me  on  this  matter  of  the  Governor's  wager,  but  'twas 
not  the  wager  I  thought  of." 

Then  I  told  him  the  whole  tale.  "The  stake  Is  the 
safety  of  this  land,  of  which  you  are  a  notable  citizen. 
I  ask  you,  because  I  know  you  are  a  brave  man.  Will 
you  leave  your  comfort  and  your  games  for  a  season, 
and  play  for  higher  stakes  at  a  more  desperate  haz- 
ard?" 

I  told  him  everything,  even  down  to  my  talk  with 
the  Governor.  I  did  not  lessen  the  risks  and  hard- 
ships, and  I  gave  him  to  know  that  his  companions 
would  be  rough  folk,  whom  he  may  well  have  despised. 
He  heard  me  out  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  ground. 
Then  suddenly  he  raised  a  shining  face. 

"You  are  a  generous  enemy,  Mr.  Garvald.  I  be- 
haved to  you  like  a  peevish  child,  and  you  retaliate  by 
offering  me  the  bravest  venture  that  man  ever  con- 
ceived. I  am  with  you  with  all  my  heart.  By  God, 
sir,  I  am  sick  of  my  cushioned  life.  This  is  what  I 
have  been  longing  for  in  my  soul  since  I  was  born.  .  .  ." 

That  night  I  spent  making  ready.  I  took  no  servant, 
and  In  my  saddle-bags  was  stored  the  little  I  needed. 
Of  powder  and  shot  I  had  plenty,  and  my  two  pistols 
and  my  hunting  musket.  I  gave  Faulkner  Instructions, 
and  wrote  a  letter  to  my  uncle  to  be  sent  If  I  did  not 
return.     Next  morning  at  daybreak  we  took  the  road. 

20I 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  FORD  OF  THE  RAPIDAN 

J^T^WAS  the  same  high  summer  weather  through 
X  which  I  had  ridden  a  fortnight  ago  with  a  dull 
heart  on  my  way  to  the  duel.  Now  Grey  rode  by  my 
side,  and  my  spirits  were  as  light  as  a  bird's.  I  had  for- 
gotten the  grim  part  of  the  enterprise,  the  fate  that 
might  await  me,  the  horrors  we  should  certainly  wit- 
ness. I  thought  only  of  the  joys  of  movement  into  new 
lands  with  tried  companions.  These  last  months  I  had 
borne  a  pretty  heavy  weight  of  cares.  Now  that  was 
past.  My  dispositions  completed,  the  thing  was  in  the 
hands  of  God,  and  I  was  free  to  go  my  own  road. 
Mocking-birds  and  thrushes  cried  in  the  thickets,  squir- 
rels flirted  across  the  path,  and  now  and  then  a  shy 
deer  fled  before  us.  There  come  moments  to  every 
man  when  he  is  thankful  to  be  alive,  and  every  breath 
drawn  is  a  delight;  so  at  that  hour  I  praised  my  Maker 
for  His  good  earth,  and  for  sparing  me  to  rejoice  in  it. 
Grey  had  met  me  with  a  certain  shyness ;  but  as  the 
sun  rose  and  the  land  grew  bright  he,  too,  lost  his  con- 
straint, and  fell  into  the  same  happy  mood.  Soon  we 
were  smiling  at  each  other  in  the  frankest  comradeship, 

202 


THE  FORD  OF  THE  RAPIDAN 

we  two  who  but  the  other  day  had  carried  ourselves  like 
game-cocks.  He  had  forgotten  his  fine  manners  and  his 
mincing  London  voice,  and  we  spoke  of  the  outland 
country  of  which  he  knew  nothing,  and  of  the  hunting 
of  game  of  which  he  knew  much,  exchanging  our  dif- 
ferent knowledges,  and  willing  to  learn  from  each 
other.  Long  ere  we  had  reached  York  Ferry  I  had 
found  that  there  was  much  in  common  between  the 
Scots  trader  and  the  Virginian  cavalier,  and  the  chief 
thing  we  shared  was  youth. 

Mine,  to  be  sure,  was  more  in  the  heart,  while  Grey 
wore  his  open  and  fearless.  He  plucked  the  summer 
flowers  and  set  them  in  his  hat.  He  was  full  of  catches 
and  glees,  so  that  he  waked  the  echoes  in  the  forest 
glades.  Soon  I,  too,  fell  to  singing  in  my  tuneless 
voice,  and  I  answered  his  "My  lodging  is  on  the  cold 
ground"  with  some  Scots  ballad  or  a  song  of  Davie 
Lindsay.  I  remember  how  sweetly  he  sang  Colonel 
Lovelace's  ode  to  Lucasta,  writ  when  going  to  the 
wars : — 

"True,  a  new  mistress  now  I  chase, 
The  first  foe  in  the  field; 
And  with  a  stronger  faith  embrace 
A  sword,  a  horse,  a  shield. 

"Yet  this  inconstancy  is  such 
As  thou  too  shalt  adore : 
I  could  not  love  thee,  dear,  so  much. 
Loved  I  not  Honour  more." 

I  wondered  if  that  were  my  case — if  I  rode  out  for 
honour,  and  not  for  the  pure  pleasure  of  the  riding. 

203 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

And  I  marvelled  more  to  see  the  two  of  us,  both  lovers 
of  one  lady  and  eager  rivals,  burying  for  the  nonce  our 
feuds,  and  with  the  same  hope  serving  the  same  cause. 

We  slept  the  night  at  Aird's  store,  and  early  the 
next  morning  found  Ringan.  A  new  Ringan  indeed, 
as  unlike  the  buccaneer  I  knew  as  he  was  unlike  the 
Quaker.  He  was  now  the  gentleman  of  Breadalbane, 
dressed  for  the  part  with  all  the  care  of  an  exquisite. 
He  rode  a  noble  roan,  in  his  Spanish  belt  were  stuck 
silver-hafted  pistols,  and  a  long  sword  swung  at  his 
side.  When  I  presented  Grey  to  him,  he  became  at 
once  the  cavalier,  as  precise  in  his  speech  and  polite 
in  his  deportment  as  any  Whitehall  courtier.  They 
talked  high  and  disposedly  of  genteel  matters,  and  you 
would  have  thought  that  that  red-haired  pirate  had 
lived  his  life  among  proud  lords  and  high-heeled  ladies. 
That  is  ever  the  way  of  the  Highlander.  He  alters 
like  a  clear  pool  to  every  mood  of  the  sky,  so  that  the 
shallow  observer  might  forget  how  deep  the  waters 
are. 

Presently,  when  we  had  ridden  into  the  chestnut 
forests  of  the  Mattaponey,  he  began  to  forget  his  part. 
Grey,  it  appeared,  was  a  student  of  campaigns,  and  he 
and  Ringan  were  deep  in  a  discussion  of  Condi's  bat- 
tles, in  which  both  showed  surprising  knowledge.  But 
the  glory  of  the  weather  and  of  the  woodlands,  new 
as  they  were  to  a  seafarer,  set  his  thoughts  wandering, 
and  he  fell  to  tales  of  his  past  which  consorted  ill  with 
his  former  decorum.  There  was  a  madcap  zest  in  his 
speech,  something  so  merry  and  wild,  that  Grey,  who 
had  fallen  back  into  his  Tidewater  manners,  became 

204 


THE  FORD  OF  THE  RAPIDAN 

once  more  the  careless  boy.  We  stopped  to  eat  in  a 
glade  by  a  slow  stream,  and  from  his  saddle-bags  Rin- 
gan  brought  out  strange  delicacies.  There  were  su- 
gared fruits  from  the  Main,  and  orange  sirop  from 
Jamaica,  and  a  kind  of  sweet  punch  made  by  the  His- 
paniola  Indians.  As  we  ate  and  drank  he  would  gossip 
about  the  ways  of  the  world;  and  though  he  never  men- 
tioned his  own  doings,  there  was  such  an  air  of  mastery 
about  him  as  made  him  seem  the  centre  figure  of  his 
tales.  I  could  see  that  Grey  was  mightily  captivated, 
and  all  afternoon  he  plied  him  with  questions,  and 
laughed  joyously  at  his  answers.  As  we  camped  that 
night,  while  Grey  was  minding  his  horse  Ringan  spoke 
of  him  to  me. 

"I  like  the  lad,  Andrew.  He  has  the  makings  of  a 
very  proper  gentleman,  and  he  has  the  sense  to  be 
young.  What  I  complain  of  in  you  is  that  you're 
desperate  old.  I  wonder  whiles  if  you  ever  were  a 
laddie.  For  me,  though  Tm  ten  years  the  elder  of  the 
pair  of  you,  Fve  no  more  years  than  your  friend,  and 
Tm  a  century  younger  than  you.  That's  the  Highland 
way.  There's  that  in  our  blood  that  keeps  our  eyes 
young  though  we  may  be  bent  double.  With  us  the 
heart  is  aye  leaping  till  Death  grips  us.  To  my  mind 
it's  a  lovable  character  that  I  fain  would  cherish.  If  I 
couldn't  sing  on  a  spring  morning  or  say  a  hearty  grace 
over  a  good  dinner  I'd  be  content  to  be  put  away  in  a 
graveyard." 

And  that,  I  think,  is  the  truth.  But  at  the  time  I 
was  feeling  pretty  youthful,  too,  though  my  dour  face 
and  hard  voice  were  a  bad  clue  to  my  sentiments. 

205 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

Next  day  on  the  Rappahannock  we  found  Shalah, 
who  had  gone  on  to  warn  the  two  men  I  proposed  to 
enhst.  One  of  them,  Donaldson,  was  a  big,  slow- 
spoken,  middle-aged  farmer,  the  same  who  had  been 
with  Bacon  in  the  fight  at  Occaneechee  Island.  He  just 
cried  to  his  wife  to  expect  him  back  when  she  saw  him, 
slung  on  his  back  an  old  musket,  cast  a  long  leg  over 
his  little  horse,  and  was  ready  to  follow.  The  other, 
the  Frenchman  Bertrand,  was  a  quiet,  slim  gentleman, 
who  was  some  kin  to  the  murdered  D'Aubignys.  I  had 
long  had  my  eye  on  him,  for  he  was  very  wise  in  wood- 
craft, and  had  learned  campaigning  under  old  Turenne. 
He  kissed  his  two  children  again  and  again,  and  his 
wife  clung  to  his  arms.  There  were  tears  in  the  honest 
fellow's  eyes  as  he  left,  and  I  thought  all  the  more  of 
him,  for  he  is  the  bravest  man  who  has  most  to  risk. 
I  mind  that  Ringan  consoled  the  lady  in  the  French 
tongue,  which  I  did  not  comprehend,  and  would  not  be 
hindered  from  getting  out  his  saddle-bags  and  comfort- 
ing the  children  with  candied  plums.  He  had  near  as 
grave  a  face  as  Bertrand  when  we  rode  off,  and  was 
always  looking  back  to  the  homestead.  He  spoke  long 
to  the  Frenchman  in  his  own  speech,  and  the  sad  face 
of  the  latter  began  to  lighten. 

I  asked  him  what  he  said. 

"Just  that  he  was  the  happy  man  to  have  kind  hearts 
to  weep  for  him.  A  fine  thing  for  a  landless,  childless 
fellow  like  me  to  say!  But  it's  gospel  truth,  Andrew. 
I  told  him  that  his  bairns  would  be  great  folks  some 
day,  and  that  their  proudest  boast  would  be  that  their 
father  had  ridden  on  this  errand.    Oh,  and  all  the  rest 

206 


THE  FORD  OF  THE  RAPIDAN 

of  the  easy  consolations.  If  it  had  been  me,  I  would 
not  have  been  muckle  cheered.  It's  well  I  never  mar- 
ried, for  I  would  not  have  had  the  courage  to  leave  my 
fireside." 

We  were  now  getting  Into  a  new  and  far  lovelier 
country.  The  heavy  forests  and  swamps  which  line  the 
James  and  the  York  had  gone,  and  instead  we  had  roll- 
ing spaces  of  green  meadowland,  and  little  hills  which 
stood  out  like  sentinels  of  the  great  blue  chain  of  moun- 
tains that  hung  in  the  west.  Instead  of  the  rich  summer 
scents  of  the  Tidewater,  we  had  the  clean,  sharp  smell 
of  uplands,  and  cool  winds  relieved  the  noontide  heat. 
By  and  by  we  struck  the  Rapidan,  a  water  more  like  our 
Scots  rivers,  flowing  in  pools  and  currents,  very  differ- 
ent from  the  stagnant  reaches  of  the  Pamunkey.  We 
were  joined  for  a  little  bit  by  two  men  from  Stafford 
county,  who  showed  us  the  paths  that  horses  could 
travel. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  that  we  reached  a  broad 
meadow  hemmed  in  by  noble  cedars.  I  knew  without 
telling  that  we  were  come  to  the  scene  of  the  tragedy, 
and  with  one  accord  we  fell  silent.  The  place  had  been 
well  looked  after,  for  a  road  had  been  made  through 
the  woods,  and  had  been  carried  over  marshy  places  on 
a  platform  of  cedar  piles.  Presently  we  came  to  a  log 
fence  with  a  gate,  which  hung  idly  open.  Within  was 
a  paddock,  and  beyond  another  fence,  and  beyond  that 
a  great  pile  of  blackened  timber.  The  place  was  so 
smiling  and  homelike  under  the  westering  sun  that  one 
looked  to  see  a  trim  steading  with  the  smoke  of  hearth 
fires  ascending,  and  to  hear  the  cheerful  sounds  of  la- 

207 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

bour  and  of  children's  voices.  Instead  there  was  this 
grim,  charred  heap,  with  the  light  winds  swirling  the 
ashes. 

Every  man  of  us  uncovered  his  head  as  he  rode  to- 
wards the  melancholy  place.  I  noticed  a  little  rosary, 
which  had  been  carefully  tended,  but  horses  had  ridden 
through  it,  and  the  blossoms  were  trailing  crushed  on 
the  ground.  There  was  a  flower  garden  too,  much 
trampled,  and  in  one  corner  a  little  stream  of  water  had 
been  led  into  a  pool  fringed  with  forget-me-nots.  A 
tiny  water-wheel  was  turning  in  the  fall,  a  children's 
toy,  and  the  wheel  still  turned,  though  its  owners  had 
gone.  The  sight  of  that  simple  thing  fairly  brought  my 
heart  to  my  mouth. 

That  inspection  was  a  gruesome  business.  One  of 
the  doorposts  of  the  house  still  stood,  and  it  was 
splashed  with  blood.  On  the  edge  of  the  ashes  were 
some  charred  human  bones.  No  one  could  tell  whose 
they  were,  perhaps  a  negro's,  perhaps  the  little  mis- 
tress of  the  water-wheel.  I  looked  at  Ringan,  and  he 
was  smiling,  but  his  eyes  were  terrible.  The  French- 
man Bertrand  was  sobbing  like  a  child. 

We  took  the  bones,  and  made  a  shallow  grave  for 
them  in  the  rosary.  We  had  no  spades,  but  a  stake 
did  well  enough  to  dig  a  resting-place  for  those  few 
poor  remains.  I  said  over  them  the  Twenty-third 
Psalm:  ''Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil;  for  Thou  art  with 
me;  Thy  rod  and  Thy  staff  shall  comfort  me." 

Then  suddenly  our  mood  changed.  Nothing  that  we 
could  do  could  help  the  poor  souls  whose  bones  lay 

208 


THE  FORD  OF  THE  RAPIDAN 

among  the  ashes.     But  we  could  bring  their  murderers 
to  book,  and  save  others  from  a  like  fate. 

We  moved  away  from  the  shattered  place  to  the 
ford  In  the  river  where  the  road  ran  north.  There  we 
looked  back.  A  kind  of  fury  seized  me  as  I  saw  that 
cruel  defacement.  In  a  few  hours  we  ourselves  should 
be  beyond  the  pale,  among  those  human  wolves  who 
were  so  much  more  relentless  than  any  beasts  of  the 
field.  As  I  looked  round  our  little  company,  I  noted 
how  deep  the  thing  had  bitten  Into  our  souls.  Ringan's 
eyes  still  danced  with  that  unholy  blue  light.  Grey 
was  very  pale,  and  his  jaw  was  set  grimly.  Bertrand 
had  ceased  from  sobbing,  and  his  face  had  the  far- 
away wlldness  of  the  fanatic,  such  a  look  as  his  for- 
bears may  have  worn  at  the  news  of  St.  Bartholomew. 
The  big  man  Donaldson  looked  puzzled  and  sombre. 
Only  Shalah  stood  impassive  and  aloof,  with  no  trace 
of  feeling  on  the  bronze  of  his  countenance. 

"This  Is  the  place  for  an  oath,"  I  said.  "We  are  six 
men  against  an  army,  but  we  fight  for  a  holy  cause. 
Let  us  swear  to  wipe  out  this  deed  of  blood  In  the  blood 
of  its  perpetrators.  God  has  made  us  the  executors 
of  His  judgments  against  horrid  cruelty." 

We  swore,  holding  our  hands  high,  that,  when  our 
duty  to  the  dominion  was  done,  we  should  hunt  down 
the  Cherokees  who  had  done  this  deed  till  no  one  of 
them  was  left  breathing.  At  that  moment  of  tense 
nerves,  no  other  purpose  would  have  contented  us. 

"How  will  we  find  them?"  quoth  RIngan.  "To  sift 
a  score  of  murderers  out  of  a  murderous  nation  will 
be  like  searching  the  ocean  for  a  wave." 

209 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

Then  Shalah  spoke. 

"The  trail  is  ten  suns  old,  but  I  can  follow  it.  The 
men  were  of  the  Meebaw  tribe  by  this  token."  And  he 
held  up  a  goshawk's  feather.  "The  bird  that  dropped 
that  lives  beyond  the  peaks  of  Shubash.  The  Meebaw 
are  quick  hunters  and  gross  eaters,  and  travel  slow. 
We  will  find  them  by  the  Tewawha." 

"All  in  good  time,"  I  said.  "Retribution  must  wait 
till  we  have  finished  our  task.  Can  you  find  the  Mee- 
baw men  again?" 

"Yea,"  said  Shalah,  "though  they  took  wings  and 
flew  over  the  seas  I  should  find  them." 

Then  we  hastened  away  from  that  glade,  none 
speaking  to  the  other.  We  camped  an  hour's  ride  up 
the  river,  in  a  place  secure  against  surprises  in  a  crook 
of  the  stream  with  a  great  rock  at  our  back.  We  were 
outside  the  pale  now,  and  must  needs  adopt  the  pre- 
cautions of  a  campaign;  so  we  split  the  night  into 
watches.  I  did  my  two  hours  sentry  duty  at  that  dead 
moment  of  the  dark  just  before  the  little  breeze  which 
is  the  precursor  of  dawn,  and  I  reflected  very  soberly 
on  the  slender  chances  of  our  returning  from  this 
strange  wild  world  and  its  cruel  mysteries. 


CHAPTER  XVII 


I  RETRACE  MY  STEPS 


NEXT  morning  we  passed  through  the  foothills  in- 
to an  open  meadow  country.  As  I  lifted  up  my 
eyes  I  saw  for  the  first  time  the  mountains  near  at  hand. 
There  they  lay,  not  more  than  ten  miles  distant,  woody 
almost  to  the  summit,  but  with  here  and  there  a  bold 
finger  of  rock  pointing  skywards.  They  looked  infi- 
nitely high  and  rugged,  far  higher  than  any  hills  I  had 
ever  seen  before,  for  my  own  Tinto  or  Cairntable 
would  to  these  have  been  no  more  than  a  footstool.  I 
made  out  a  clear  breach  in  the  range,  which  I  took  to 
be  old  Studd's  Clearwater  Gap.  The  whole  sight  in- 
toxicated me.  I  might  dream  of  horrors  in  the  low 
coast  forests  among  their  swampy  creeks,  but  in  that 
clear  high  world  of  the  hills  I  believed  lay  safety.  I 
could  have  gazed  at  them  for  hours,  but  Shalah  would 
permit  of  no  delay.  He  hurried  us  across  the  open 
meadows,  and  would  not  relax  his  pace  till  we  were 
on  a  low  wooded  ridge  with  the  young  waters  of  the 
Rapidan  running  in  a  shallow  vale  beneath. 

Here  we  halted  in  a  thick  clump  of  cedars,  while  he 
and  Ringan  went  forward  to  spy  out  the  land.  In  that 
green  darkness,  save  by  folk  travelling  along  the  ridge, 

211 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

we  could  not  be  detected,  and  I  knew  enough  of  Indian 
ways  to  believe  that  any  large  party  would  keep  the 
stream  sides.  We  lit  a  fire  without  fear,  for  the  smoke 
was  hid  in  the  cedar  branches,  and  some  of  us  roasted 
corn-cakes.  Our  food  in  the  saddle-bags  would  not 
last  long,  and  I  foresaw  a  ticklish  business  when  it  came 
to  hunting  for  the  pot.  A  gunshot  in  these  narrow 
glens  would  reverberate  like  a  cannon. 

We  dozed  peacefully  in  the  green  shade,  and  smoked 
our  pipes,  waiting  for  the  return  of  our  envoys.  They 
came  towards  sundown,  slipping  among  us  like  ghosts. 

Ringan  signalled  to  me,  and  we  put  our  coats  over 
the  horses'  heads  to  prevent  their  whinnying.  He 
stamped  out  the  last  few  ashes  of  the  fire,  and  Shalah 
motioned  us  all  flat  on  our  faces.  Then  I  crawled  to 
the  edge  of  the  ridge,  and  looked  down  through  a 
tangle  of  vines  on  the  little  valley. 

Our  precautions  had  been  none  too  soon,  for  a  host 
was  passing  below,  as  stealthily  as  if  it  had  been  an 
army  of  the  sheeted  dead.  Most  were  mounted,  and 
it  was  marvellous  to  see  the  way  in  which  they  man- 
aged their  horses,  so  that  the  beasts  seemed  part  of  the 
riders,  and  partook  of  their  vigilance.  Some  were  on 
foot,  and  moved  with  the  long,  loping,  in-toed  Indian 
stride.  I  guessed  their  number  at  three  hundred,  but 
what  awed  me  was  their  array.  This  was  no  ordinary 
raid,  but  an  invading  army.  My  sight,  as  I  think  I 
have  said,  is  as  keen  as  a  hawk's,  and  I  could  see  that 
most  of  them  carried  muskets  as  well  as  knives  and 
tomahawks.  The  war-paint  glistened  on  each  breast 
and  forehead,  and  in  the  oiled  hair  stood  the  crested 

212 


I  RETRACE  MY  STEPS 

feathers,  dyed  scarlet  for  battle.  My  spirits  sank  as 
I  reflected  that  now  we  were  cut  off  from  the  Tide- 
water. 

When  the  last  man  had  gone  we  crawled  back  to  the 
clump,  now  gloomy  with  the  dusk  of  evening.  I  saw 
that  Ringan  was  very  weary,  but  Shalah,  after  stretch- 
ing his  long  limbs,  seemed  fresh  as  ever.  "Will  you 
come  with  me,  brother?"  he  said.  "We  must  warn 
the  Rappahannock." 

"Who  are  they?"  I  asked. 

"Cherokees.  More  follow  them.  The  assault  is 
clearly  by  the  line  of  the  Rappahannock.  If  we  hasten 
we  may  yet  be  in  time." 

I  knew  what  Shalah's  hastening  meant.  I  suppose 
I  was  the  one  of  us  best  fitted  for  a  hot-foot  march,  and 
that  that  was  the  reason  why  the  Indian  chose  me.  All 
the  same  my  heart  misgave  me.  He  ate  a  little  food, 
while  I  stripped  off  the  garments  I  did  not  need,  car- 
rying only  the  one  pistol.  I  bade  the  others  travel 
slowly  towards  the  mountains,  scouting  carefully  ahead, 
and  promised  that  we  should  join  them  before  the  next 
sundown.  Then  Shalah  beckoned  me,  and  I  plunged 
after  him  into  the  forest. 

On  our  first  visit  to  Ringan  at  the  landlocked  Caro- 
lina harbour  I  had  thought  Shalah's  pace  killing,  but 
that  was  but  a  saunter  to  what  he  now  showed  me.  We 
seemed  to  be  moving  at  right  angles  to  the  Indian 
march.  Once  out  of  the  woods  of  the  ridge  we  crossed 
the  meadows,  mostly  on  our  bellies,  taking  advantage 
of  every  howe  and  crinkle.  I  followed  him  as  obedi- 
ently as  a  child.     When  he  ran  so  did  I;  when  he 

213 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

crawled  my  forehead  was  next  his  heel.  After  the 
grass-lands  came  broken  hillocks  with  little  streams  in 
the  bottoms.  Through  these  we  twisted,  moving  with 
less  care,  and  presently  we  had  left  the  hills  and  were 
looking  over  a  wide,   shadowy  plain. 

The  moon  was  three-quarters  full,  and  was  just  be- 
ginning to  climb  the  sky.  Shalah  sniifed  the  wind, 
which  blew  from  the  south-west,  and  set  off  at  a  sharp 
angle  towards  the  north.  We  were  now  among  the 
woods  again,  and  the  tangle  undergrowth  tried  me  sore. 
We  had  been  going  for  about  three  hours,  and,  though 
I  was  hard  and  spare  from  much  travel  in  the  sun,  my 
legs  were  not  used  to  this  furious  foot  marching.  My 
feet  grew  leaden,  and,  to  make  matters  worse,  we  dipped 
presently  into  a  big  swamp,  where  we  mired  to  the 
knees  and  often  to  the  middle.  It  would  have  been  no 
light  labour  at  any  time  to  cross  such  a  place,  pulling 
oneself  by  the  tangled  shrubs  on  to  the  rare  patches  of 
solid  ground.  But  now,  when  I  was  pretty  weary,  the 
toil  was  about  the  limit  of  my  strength.  When  we 
emerged  on  hard  land  I  was  sobbing  like  a  stricken 
deer.  But  Shalah  had  no  mercy.  He  took  me  through 
the  dark  cedars  at  the  same  tireless  pace,  and  in  the 
gloom  I  could  see  him  flitting  ahead  of  me,  his  shoulders 
squared  and  his  limbs  as  supple  as  a  race-horse's.  I 
remember  I  said  over  in  my  head  all  the  songs  and 
verses  I  knew,  to  keep  my  mind  from  my  condition. 
I  had  long  ago  got  and  lost  my  second  wind  and  what- 
ever other  winds  there  be,  and  was  moving  less  by 
bodily  strength  than  by  sheer  doggedness  of  spirit. 
Weak  tears  were  running  down  my  cheeks,  my  breath 

214 


I  RETRACE  MY  STEPS 

rasped  in  my  throat,  but  I  was  in  the  frame  of  mind 
that  if  death  had  found  me  next  moment  my  legs  would 
still  have  twitched  in  an  effort  to  run. 

At  an  open  bit  of  the  forest  Shalah  stopped  and 
looked  at  the  sky.  I  blundered  into  him,  and  then 
from  sheer  weakness  rolled  on  the  ground.  He  grunted 
and  turned  to  me.  I  felt  his  cool  hand  passing  over  my 
brow  and  cheek,  and  his  fingers  kneading  the  muscles 
of  my  forlorn  legs.  'Twas  some  Indian  device,  doubt- 
less, but  its  power  was  miraculous.  Under  his  hands 
my  body  seemed  to  be  rested  and  revived.  New 
strength  stole  Into  my  sinews,  new  vigour  into  my 
blood.  The  thing  took  maybe  five  minutes — not  more ; 
but  I  scrambled  to  my  feet  a  man  again.  Indeed  I 
was  a  better  man  than  when  I  started,  for  this  Indian 
wizardry  had  given  me  an  odd  lightness  of  head  and 
heart.  When  we  took  up  the  running,  my  body,  in- 
stead of  a  leaden  clog,  seemed  to  be  a  thing  of  air  and 
feathers. 

It  was  now  hard  on  midnight,  and  the  moon  was  high 
in  the  heavens.  We  bore  somewhat  to  the  right,  and 
I  judged  that  our  circuit  was  completed,  and  that  the 
time  had  come  to  steal  In  front  of  the  Indian  route. 
The  forest  thinned,  and  we  traversed  a  marshy  piece 
of  country  with  many  single  great  trees.  Often  Shalah 
would  halt  for  a  second,  strain  his  ears,  and  sniff  the 
light  wind  like  a  dog.  He  seemed  to  find  guidance, 
but  I  got  none,  only  the  hoot  of  an  owl  or  the  rooty 
smell  of  the  woodland. 

At  last  we  struck  a  little  stream,  and  followed  Its 
course  between  high  banks  of  pine.     Suddenly  Shalah's 

215 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

movements  became  stealthy.  Crouching  in  every  patch 
of  shade,  and  crossing  open  spaces  on  our  bellies,  we 
turned  from  the  stream,  surmounted  a  knoll,  and  came 
down  on  a  wooded  valley.  Shalah  looked  westwards, 
held  up  his  hand,  and  stood  poised  for  a  minute  like  a 
graven  image.  Then  he  grunted,  and  spoke.  "We 
are  safe,"  he  said.  "They  are  behind  us,  and  are 
camped  for  the  night."  How  he  knew  that  I  cannot 
tell ;  but  I  seemed  to  catch  on  the  breeze  a  whiff  of  the 
rancid  odour  of  Indian  war-paint. 

For  another  mile  we  continued  our  precautions,  and 
then  moved  more  freely  in  the  open.  Now  that  the 
chief  peril  was  past,  my  fatigue  came  back  to  me  worse 
than  ever.  I  think  I  was  growing  leg-weary,  as  I  had 
seen  happen  to  horses,  and  from  that  ailment  there  is 
no  relief.  My  head  buzzed  like  a  beehive,  and  when 
the  moon  set  I  had  no  power  to  pick  my  steps,  and 
stumbled  and  sprawled  in  the  darkness.  I  had  to  ask 
Shalah  for  help,  though  it  was  a  sore  hurt  to  my  pride, 
and,  leaning  on  his  arm,  I  made  the  rest  of  the  journey. 

I  found  myself  splashing  in  a  strong  river.  We 
crossed  by  a  ford,  so  we  had  no  need  to  swim,  which 
was  well  for  me,  for  I  must  have  drowned.  The  chill 
of  the  water  revived  me  somewhat,  and  I  had  the 
strength  to  climb  the  other  bank.  And  then  suddenly 
before  me  I  saw  a  light,  and  a  challenge  rang  out  into 
the  night. 

The  voice  was  a  white  man's,  and  brought  me  to  my 
bearings.  Weak  as  I  was,  I  had  the  fierce  satisfaction 
that  our  errand  had  not  been  idle.  I  replied  with  the 
password,  and  a  big  fellow  strode  out  from  a  stockade. 

216 


I  RETRACE  MY  STEPS 

"Mr.  Garvald!"  he  said,  staring.  "What  brings 
you  here?  Where  are  the  rest  of  you?"  He  lool<:ed 
at  Shalah  and  then  at  me,  and  finally  took  my  arm  and 
drew  me  inside. 

There  were  a  score  in  the  place — Rappahannock 
farmers,  a  lean,  watchful  breed,  each  man  with  his 
musket.  One  of  them,  I  mind,  wore  a  rusty  cuirass 
of  chain  armour,  which  must  have  been  one  of  those 
sent  out  by  the  King  in  the  first  days  of  the  dominion. 
They  gave  me  a  drink  of  rum  and  water,  and  in  a  little 
I  had  got  over  my  worst  weariness  and  could  speak. 

"The  Cherokees  are  on  us,"  I  said,  and  I  told  them 
of  the  army  we  had  followed. 

"How  many?"  they  asked. 

"Three  hundred  for  a  vanguard,  but  more  follow." 

One  man  laughed,  as  if  well  pleased.  "I'm  in  the 
humour  for  Cherokees  just  now.  There's  a  score  of 
scalps  hanging  outside,  if  you  could  see  them,  Mr. 
Garvald." 

"What  scalps?"  I  asked,  dumbfoundered. 

"The  Rapidan  murderers.  We  got  word  of  them 
In  the  woods  yesterday,  and  six  of  us  went  hunting. 
It  was  pretty  shooting.  Two  got  away  with  some  lead 
in  them,  the  rest  are  in  the  Tewawha  pools,  all  but  their 
topknots.     I've  very  little  notion  of  Cherokees." 

Somehow  the  news  gave  me  intense  joy.  I  thought 
nothing  of  the  barbarity  of  it,  or  that  white  men  should 
demean  themselves  to  the  Indian  level.  I  remembered 
only  the  meadow  by  the  Rapidan,  and  the  little  lonely 
water-wheel.  Our  vow  was  needless,  for  others  had 
done  our  work. 

217 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

"Would  I  had  been  with  you!"  was  all  I  said.  "But 
now  you  have  more  than  a  gang  of  Meebaw  raiders 
to  deal  with.  There's  an  invasion  coming  down  from 
the  hills,  and  this  is  the  first  wave  of  It.  I  want  word 
sent  to  Governor  Nicholson  at  James  Town.  I  was  to 
tell  him  where  the  trouble  was  to  be  feared,  and  in  a 
week  jrou'll  have  a  regiment  at  your  backs.  Who  has 
the  best  horse?  Simpson?  Well,  let  Simpson  carry 
the  word  down  the  valley.  If  my  plans  are  working 
well,  the  news  should  be  at  James  Town  by  dawn  to- 
morrow." 

The  man  called  Simpson  got  up,  saddled  his  beast, 
and  waited  my  bidding.  "This  is  the  word  to  send," 
said  L  "Say  that  the  Cherokees  are  attacking  by  the 
line  of  the  Rappahannock.  Say  that  I  am  going  into 
the  hills  to  find  if  my  fears  are  justified.  Never  mind 
what  that  means.  Just  pass  on  the  words.  They  will 
understand  them  at  James  Town.  So  much  for  the 
Governor.  Now  I  want  word  sent  to  Frew's  home- 
stead on  the  South  Fork.    Who  is  to  carry  it?" 

One  old  fellow,  who  chewed  tobacco  without  inter- 
mission, spat  out  the  leaf,  and  asked  me  what  news 
I  wanted  to  send, 

"Just  that  we  are  attacked,"  I  said. 

"That's  a  simple  job,"  he  said  cheerfully.  "All 
down  the  Border  posts  we  have  a  signal.  Only  yester- 
day we  got  word  of  it  from  the  place  you  speak  of. 
A  mile  from  here  is  a  hillock  within  hearing  of  the 
stockade  at  Robertson's  Ford.  One  shot  fired  there 
will  tell  them  what  you  want  them  to  know.  Robert- 
son's will  fire  twice  for  Appleby's  to  hear,  and  Apple- 

218 


J  mruiAcio  MY  sri:rs 

by's  will  send  on  the  message  to  Dopplc's.  "Flicrc  are 
six  posts  between  here  and  the  South  P'ork,  so  when 
the  folk  al  iM-evv's  hear  seven  shots  they  will  know 
that  the  war  is  on  the  ka|)i)ahannock." 

I  recof^ni/ed  old  Lawrence's  liaiul  in  this.  Il  was 
just  the  kind  ol  deviee  that  he  would  contrive.  I  ho|)ed 
it  would  not  miscarry,  for  I  would  have  preferred  a 
messenger;  but  after  all  the  Border  line  was  his  con- 
cern. 

i  hen  T  spoke  aside  to  Shalah.  In  his  vii'w  ihe 
Cherokees  would  not  attack  at  dawn.  I'hey  were  more 
likely  to  wait  till  their  supports  overtook  thcfii,  um] 
then  to  make  a  dash  lor  (he  Rappahannock  farms. 
Plunder  was  more  in  liu-  line  of  these  j>;entry  than 
honest  lijrhtinp;.  I  s|)oke  to  the  leader  of  the  post,  and 
he  was  for  fallinjj;  upon  them  in  the  narrows  of  the 
Rapidan.  Their  victory  over  the  Meehaws  had  lired 
the  blooti  ol  the  liortlerers,  and  made  them  conteniptu- 
ous  of  the  enemy.  Still,  in  such  a  predicament,  when 
we  had  to  hold  a  frontier  with  a  handlul,  the  boldest 
course  was  likely  to  be  the  safest,  i  could  only  pray 
that  Niclu)lson's  levies  would  turn  up  in  time  to  protect 
the  valley. 

"Time  passes,  brother,"  said  Shalah.  "We  came  by 
swiftness,  but  we  return  by  guile.  In  three  hours  it 
will  be  dawn.  Sleep  till  then,  for  there  is  much  toil 
before  thee." 

1  saw  the  wisdom  of  his  words,  and  went  promi)tly 
to  bed  in  a  corner  of  the  stockade.  As  I  was  lying 
down  a  man  spoke  to  mc,  one  Rycroft,  at  whose  cabin 
I  had  once  sojourned  for  a  day. 

219 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

"What  brings  the  parson  hereaways  in  these  times?" 
he  asked. 

"What  parson?"  I  asked. 

"The  man  they  call  Doctor  Blair." 

"Great  God!"  I  cried,  "what  about  him?" 

"He  was  in  Stafford  county  when  I  left,  hunting  for 
schoolmasters.     Ay,  and  he  had  a  girl  with  him." 

I  sat  upright  with  a  start.  "Where  is  he  now?"  I 
asked. 

"I  saw  him  last  at  Middleton's  Ford.  I  think  he  was 
going  down  the  river.  I  warned  him  this  was  no  place 
for  parsons  and  women,  but  he  just  laughed  at  me. 
It's  time  he  was  back  in  the  Tidewater." 

So  long  as  they  were  homeward-bound  I  did  not 
care;  but  it  gave  me  a  queer  fluttering  of  the  heart  to 
think  that  Elspeth  but  yesterday  should  have  been  near 
this  perilous  Border.  I  soon  fell  asleep,  for  I  was 
mighty  tired,  but  I  dreamed  evilly.  I  seemed  to  see 
Doctor  Blair  hunted  by  Cherokees,  with  his  coat-tails 
flying  and  his  wig  blown  away,  and  what  vexed  me  was 
that  I  could  not  find  Elspeth  anywhere  in  the  landscape. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

OUR  ADVENTURE  RECEIVES  A  RECRUIT 

AT  earliest  light,  with  the  dew  heavy  on  the  wil- 
lows and  the  river  line  a  coil  of  mist,  Shalah 
woke  me  for  the  road.  We  breakfasted  off  fried 
bacon,  some  of  which  I  saved  for  the  journey,  for  the 
Indian  was  content  with  one  meal  a  day.  As  we  left 
the  stockade  I  noted  the  row  of  Meebaw  scalps  hang- 
ing, grim  and  bloody,  from  the  poles.  The  Borderers 
were  up  and  stirring,  for  they  looked  to  take  the  In- 
dians in  the  river  narrows  before  the  morning  was  old. 

No  two  Indian  war  parties  ever  take  the  same  path, 
so  It  was  Shalah's  plan  to  work  back  to  the  route  we 
had  just  travelled,  by  which  the  Cherokees  had  come 
yesterday.  This  sounds  simple  enough,  but  the  danger 
lay  in  the  second  party.  By  striking  to  right  or  left 
we  might  walk  into  It,  and  then  good-bye  to  our  hopes 
of  the  hills.  But  the  whole  thing  was  easier  to  me  than 
the  cruel  toil  of  yesterday.  There  was  need  of  stealth 
and  woodcraft,  but  not  of  yon  killing  speed. 

For  the  first  hour  we  went  up  a  northern  fork  of  the 
Rappahannock,  then  crossed  the  water  at  a  ford,  and 
struck  into  a  thick  pine  forest.  I  was  feeling  wonder- 
fully rested,  and  found  no  discomfort  In  Shalah's  long 
strides.     My  mind  was  very  busy  on  the  defence  of  the 

221 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

Borders,  and  I  kept  wondering  how  long  the  Govern- 
or's militia  would  take  to  reach  the  Rappahannock, 
and  whether  Lawrence  could  reinforce  the  northern 
posts  in  time  to  prevent  mischief  In  Stafford  county. 
I  cast  back  to  my  memory  of  the  tales  of  Indian  war, 
and  could  not  believe  but  that  the  white  man,  if  warned 
and  armed,  would  roll  back  the  Cherokees.  'Twas  not 
them  I  feared,  but  that  other  force  now  screened  be- 
hind the  mountains,  who  had  for  their  leader  some 
white  madman  with  a  fire  in  his  head  and  Bible  words 
on  his  lips.  Were  we  of  Virginia  destined  to  fight  with 
such  fanatics  as  had  distracted  Scotland — fanatics  nam- 
ing the  name  of  God,  but  leading  in  our  case  the  armies 
of  hell? 

It  was  about  eleven  in  the  forenoon,  I  think,  that 
Shalah  dropped  his  easy  swing  and  grew  circumspect. 
The  sun  was  very  hot,  and  the  noon  silence  lay  dead 
on  the  woodlands.  Scarcely  a  leaf  stirred,  and  the 
only  sounds  were  the  twittering  grasshoppers  and  the 
drone  of  flies.  But  Shalah  found  food  for  thought. 
Again  and  again  he  became  rigid,  and  then  laid  an 
ear  to  the  ground.  His  nostrils  dilated  like  a  horse's, 
and  his  eyes  were  restless.  We  were  now  in  a  shallow 
vale,  through  which  a  little  stream  flowed  among  broad 
reed-beds.  At  one  point  he  kneeled  on  the  ground  and 
searched  diligently. 

"See,"  he  said,  "a  horse's  prints  not  two  hours  old — 
a  horse  going  west." 

Presently  I  myself  found  a  clue.  I  picked  up  from 
a  clump  of  wild  onions  a  thread  of  coloured  wool. 
This  was  my  own  trade,  where   I  knew  more   than 

222 


OUR  ADVENTURE  RECEIVES  A  RECRUIT 

Shalah.     I  tested  the  thing  in  my  mouth  and  between 
my  fingers. 

"This  is  London  stuff,"  I  said.  "The  man  who  had 
this  on  his  person  bought  his  clothes  from  the  Bristol 
merchants,  and  paid  sweetly  for  them.  He  was  no 
Rappahannock  farmer." 

Shalah  trailed  like  a  bloodhound,  following  the  hoof- 
marks  out  of  the  valley  meadow  to  a  ridge  of  sparse 
cedars  where  they  showed  clear  on  the  bare  earth,  and 
then  to  a  thicker  covert  where  they  were  hidden  among 
strong  grasses.  Suddenly  he  caught  my  shoulder,  and 
pulled  me  to  the  ground.  We  crawled  through  a  briery 
place  to  where  a  gap  opened  to  the  vale  on  our  left. 

A  party  of  Indians  were  passing.  They  were  young 
men  with  the  fantastic  markings  of  young  braves.  All 
were  mounted  on  the  little  Indian  horses.  They  moved 
at  leisure,  scanning  the  distance  with  hands  shading 
eyes. 

We  wormed  our  way  back  to  the  darkness  of  the 
covert.  "The  advance  guard  of  the  second  party," 
Shalah  whispered.  "With  good  fortune,  we  shall  soon 
see  the  rest  pass,  and  then  have  a  clear  road  for  the 
hills." 

"I  saw  no  fresh  scalps,"  I  said,  "so  they  seem  to 
have  missed  our  man  on  the  horse."  I  was  proud  of 
my  simple  logic. 

All  that  Shalah  replied  was,  "The  rider  was  a 
woman." 

"How,  In  Heaven's  name,  can  you  tell?"  I  asked. 

He  held  out  a  long  hair.  "I  found  it  among  the 
vines  at  the  level  of  a  rider's  head." 

223 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

This  was  bad  news  indeed.  What  folly  had  induced 
a  woman  to  ride  so  far  across  the  Borders?  It  could 
be  no  settler's  wife,  but  some  dame  from  the  coast 
country  who  had  not  the  sense  to  be  timid.  'Twas  a 
grievous  affliction  for  two  men  on  an  arduous  quest 
to  have  to  protect  a  foolish  female  with  the  Cherokees 
all  about  them. 

There  was  no  help  for  it,  and  as  swiftly  as  possible 
and  with  all  circumspection  Shalah  trailed  the  horse's 
prints.  They  kept  the  high  ground,  in  very  broken 
country,  which  was  the  reason  why  the  rider  had 
escaped  the  Indians'  notice.  Clearly  they  were  moving 
slowly,  and  from  the  frequent  halts  and  turnings  I 
gathered  that  the  rider  had  not  much  purpose  about  the 
road. 

Then  we  came  on  a  glade  where  the  rider  had  dis- 
mounted and  let  the  beast  go.  The  horse  had  wan- 
dered down  the  ridge  to  the  right  in  search  of  grazing, 
and  the  prints  of  a  woman's  foot  led  to  the  summit  of  a 
knoll  which  raised  itself  above  the  trees. 

There,  knee-deep  in  a  patch  of  fern,  I  saw  what  I 
had  never  dreamed  of,  what  sent  the  blood  from  my 
heart  in  a  cold  shudder  of  fear:  a  girl,  pale  and  dis- 
hevelled, was  trying  to  part  some  vines.  A  twig 
crackled  and  she  looked  round,  showing  a  face  drawn 
with  weariness  and  eyes  large  with  terror. 

It  was  Elspeth! 

At  the  sight  of  Shalah  she  made  to  scream,  but 
checked  herself.  It  was  well,  for  a  scream  would  have 
brought  all  of  us  to  instant  death. 

For  Shalah  at  that  moment  dropped  to  earth  and 

224 


OUR  ADVENTURE  RECEIVES  A  RECRUIT 

wriggled  into  a  covert  overlooking  the  vale.  I  had  the 
sense  to  catch  the  girl  and  pull  her  after  him.  He 
stopped  dead,  and  we  two  lay  also  like  mice.  My  heart 
was  going  pretty  fast,  and  I  could  feel  the  heaving  of 
her  bosom. 

The  shallow  glen  was  full  of  folk,  most  of  them  go- 
ing on  foot.  I  recognized  the  Cherokee  head-dress  and 
the  long  hickory  bows  which  those  carried  who  had  no 
muskets.  'Twas  by  far  the  biggest  party  we  had  seen, 
and,  though  in  that  moment  I  had  no  wits  to  count 
them,  Shalah  told  me  afterwards  they  must  have  num- 
bered little  short  of  a  thousand.  Some  very  old  fellows 
were  there,  with  lean,  hollow  cheeks,  and  scanty  locks, 
but  the  most  were  warriors  in  their  prime.  I  could  see 
it  was  a  big  war  they  were  out  for,  since  some  of  the 
horses  carried  heavy  loads  of  corn,  and  it  is  never  the 
Indian  fashion  to  take  much  provender  for  a  common 
raid.  In  all  Virginia's  history  there  had  been  no  such 
invasion,  for  the  wars  of  Opechancanough  and  Berke- 
ley and  the  fight  of  Bacon  against  the  Susquehannccks 
were  mere  bickers  compared  with  this  deliberate  down- 
pour from  the  hills. 

As  we  lay  there,  scarce  daring  to  breathe,  I  saw  that 
we  were  in  deadly  peril.  The  host  was  so  great  that 
some  marched  on  the  very  edge  of  our  thicket.  I  could 
see  through  the  leaves  the  brown  skins  not  a  yard  away. 
The  slightest  noise  would  bring  the  sharp  Indian  eyes 
peering  into  the  gloom,  and  we  must  be  betrayed. 

In  that  moment,  which  was  one  of  the  gravest  of  my 
life,  I  had  happily  no  leisure  to  think  of  myself.  My 
whole  soul  sickened  with  anxiety  for  the  girl.     I  knew 

225 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

enough  of  Indian  ways  to  guess  her  fate.  For  Shalah 
and  myself  there  might  be  torture,  and  at  the  best  an 
arrow  in  our  hearts,  but  for  her  there  would  be  things 
unspeakable.  I  remembered  the  little  meadow  on  the 
Rapidan,  and  the  tale  told  by  the  grey  ashes.  There 
was  only  one  shot  in  my  pistol,  but  I  determined  that  it 
should  be  saved  for  her.  In  such  a  crisis  the  memory 
works  wildly,  and  I  remember  feeling  glad  that  I  had 
stood  up  before  Grey's  fire.  The  thought  gave  me  a 
comforting  assurance  of  manhood. 

Those  were  nightmare  minutes.  The  girl  was  very 
quiet,  In  a  stupor  of  fatigue  and  fear.  Shalah  was  a 
graven  image,  and  I  was  too  tensely  strung  to  have  any 
of  the  itches  and  fervours  which  used  to  vex  me  in 
hunting  the  deer  when  stillness  was  needful.  Through 
the  fretted  greenery  I  saw  the  dim  shadows  of  men 
passing  swiftly.  The  thought  of  the  horse  worried 
me.  If  the  confounded  beast  grazed  peaceably  down 
the  other  side  of  the  hill,  all  might  be  well.  So  long 
as  he  was  out  of  sight  any  movement  he  made  would 
be  set  down  by  the  Indians  to  some  forest  beast,  for 
animals'  noises  are  all  alike  in  a  wood.  But  if  he  re- 
turned to  us,  there  would  be  the  devil  to  pay,  for  at  a 
glimpse  of  him  our  thicket  would  be  alive  with  the 
enemy. 

In  the  end  I  found  it  best  to  shut  my  eyes  and  com- 
mend our  case  to  our  Maker.  Then  I  counted  very 
slowly  to  myself  up  to  four  hundred,  and  looked  again. 
The  vale  was  empty. 

We  lay  still,  hardly  believing  in  our  deliverance,  for 
the  matter  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  then  Shalah, 

226 


OUR  ADVENTURE  RECEIVES  A  RECRUIT 

making  a  sign  to  me  to  remain,  turned  and  glided  up 
hill.  I  put  my  hand  behind  me,  found  Elspeth's  cheek, 
and  patted  It,  She  stretched  out  a  hand  and  clutched 
mine  feverishly,  and  thus  we  remained  till,  after  what 
seemed  an  age,  Shalah  returned. 

He  was  on  his  feet  and  walking  freely.  He  had 
found  the  horse,  too,  and  had  it  by  the  bridle. 

"The  danger  is  past,"  he  said  gravely.  "Let  us  go 
back  to  the  glade  and  rest." 

I  helped  Elspeth  to  her  feet,  and  on  my  arm  she 
clambered  to  the  grassy  place  in  the  woods.  I  searched 
my  pockets,  and  gave  her  the  remnants  of  the  bread  and 
bacon  I  had  brought  from  the  Rappahannock  post. 
Better  still,  I  remembered  that  I  had  in  my  breast  a  lit- 
tle flask  of  eau-de-vie,  and  a  mouthful  of  it  revived 
her  greatly.  She  put  her  hands  to  her  head,  and  began 
to  tidy  her  dishevelled  hair,  which  is  a  sure  sign  in  a 
woman  that  she  is  recovering  her  composure. 

"What  brought  you  here?"  I  asked  gently. 

She  had  forgotten  that  I  was  in  her  black  books,  and 
that  in  her  letter  she  forbade  my  journey.  Indeed, 
she  looked  at  me  as  a  child  in  a  pickle  may  look  at  an 
upbraiding  parent. 

"I  was  lost,"  she  cried.  "I  did  not  mean  to  go  far, 
but  the  night  came  down  and  I  could  not  find  the  way 
back.  Oh,  it  has  been  a  hideous  nightmare !  I  have 
been  almost  mad  In  the  dark  woods." 

"But  how  did  you  get  here?"  I  asked,  still  hope- 
lessly puzzled. 

"I  was  with  Uncle  James  on  the  Rappahannock.  He 
heard  something  that  made  him  anxious,  and  he  was 

227 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

going  back  to  the  Tidewater  yesterday.  But  a  message 
came  for  him  suddenly,  and  he  left  me  at  Morrison's 
farm,  and  said  he  would  be  back  by  the  evening.  I 
did  not  want  to  go  home  before  I  had  seen  the  moun- 
tains where  my  estate  is — you  know,  the  land  that  Gov- 
ernor Francis  said  he  would  give  me  for  my  birthday. 
They  told  me  one  could  see  the  hills  from  near  at  hand, 
and  a  boy  that  I  asked  said  I  would  get  a  rare  view  if 
I  went  to  the  rise  beyond  the  river.  So  I  had  Paladin 
saddled,  and  crossed  the  ford,  meaning  to  be  back 
long  ere  sunset.  But  the  trees  were  so  thick  that  I  could 
see  nothing  from  the  first  rise,  and  I  tried  to  reach  a 
green  hill  that  looked  near.  Then  it  began  to  grow 
dark,  and  I  lost  my  head,  and  oh  !  I  don't  know  where  I 
wandered.  I  thought  every  rustle  in  the  bushes  was  a 
bear  or  a  panther.  I  feared  the  Indians,  too,  for  they 
told  me  they  were  unsafe  in  this  country.  All  night 
long  I  tried  to  find  a  valley  running  east,  but  the  moon- 
light deceived  me,  and  I  must  have  come  farther  away 
every  hour.  When  day  came  I  tied  Paladin  to  a  tree 
and  slept  a  little,  and  then  I  rode  on  to  find  a  hill 
which  would  show  me  the  lie  of  the  land.  But  it  was 
very  hot,  and  I  was  very  weary.    And  then  you  came, 

and  those  dreadful  wild  men.     And — and "     She 

broke  down  and  wept  piteously. 

I  comforted  her  as  best  I  could,  telling  her  that  her 
troubles  were  over  now,  and  that  I  should  look  after 
her.  "You  might  have  met  with  us  in  the  woods  last 
night,"  I  said,  "so  you  see  you  were  not  far  from 
friends."  But  the  truth  was  that  her  troubles  were 
only  beginning,  and  I  was  wretchedly  anxious.    My  im- 

228 


OUR  ADVENTURE  RECEIVES  A  RECRUIT 

pulse  was  to  try  to  get  her  back  to  the  Rappahannock; 
but,  on  putting  this  to  Shalah,  he  shook  his  head. 

"It  is  too  late,"  he  said.  "If  you  seek  certain  death, 
go  towards  the  Rappahannock.  She  must  come  with 
us  to  the  mountains.  The  only  safety  is  in  the  hill- 
tops." 

This  seemed  a  mad  saying.  To  be  safe  from  Indians 
we  were  to  go  into  the  heart  of  Indian  country.  But 
Shalah  expounded  it.  The  tribes,  he  said,  dwelt  only 
in  the  lower  glens  of  the  range,  and  never  ventured  to 
the  summits,  believing  them  to  be  holy  land  where  a 
great  manitou  dwelt.  The  Cherokees  especially 
shunned  the  peaks.  If  we  could  find  a  way  clear  to  the 
top  we  might  stay  there  in  some  security,  till  we  learned 
the  issue  of  the  war,  and  could  get  word  to  our  friends. 
"Moreover,"  he  said,  "we  have  yet  to  penetrate  the 
secret  of  the  hills.  That  was  the  object  of  our  quest, 
brother." 

Shalah  was  right,  and  I  had  forgotten  all  about  it. 
I  could  not  suffer  my  care  for  Elspeth  to  prevent  a 
work  whose  issue  might  mean  the  salvation  of  Virginia. 
We  had  still  to  learn  the  truth  about  the  massing  of 
Indians  in  the  mountains,  of  which  the  Cherokee  raids 
were  but  scouting  ventures.  The  verse  of  Grey's  song 
came  Into  my  head : — 

"I  could  not  love  thee,  dear,  so  much, 
Loved  I  not  Honour  more." 

Besides — and  this  was  the  best  reason — there  was  no 
other  way.     We  had  gone  too  far  to  turn  back,  and,  as 

229 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

our  proverb  says,  "It  Is  idle  to  swallow  the  cow  and 
choke  on  the  tail." 

I  put  it  all  to  Elspeth. 

She  looked  very  scared.  "But  my  uncle  will  go  mad 
if  he  does  not  find  me." 

"It  will  be  worse  for  him  if  he  Is  never  to  find  you 
again.  Shalah  says  it  would  be  as  easy  to  get  you 
back  over  the  Rappahannock  as  for  a  child  to  cross  a 
winter  torrent.  I  don't  say  It's  pleasant  either  way, 
but  there's  a  good  hope  of  safety  In  the  hills,  and 
there's  none  anywhere  else." 

She  sat  for  a  little  with  her  eyes  downcast.  "I  am 
in  your  hands,"  she  said  at  last.  "Oh  the  foolish  girl  I 
have  been !    I  will  be  a  drag  and  a  danger  to  you  all." 

Then  I  took  her  hand.  "Elspeth,"  I  said,  "It's  me 
will  be  the  proud  man  if  I  can  save  you.  I  would 
rather  be  the  salvation  of  you  than  the  King  of  the 
Tidewater.  And  so  says  Shalah,  and  so  will  say  all 
of  us." 

But  I  do  not  think  she  heard  me.  She  had  checked 
her  tears,  but  her  wits  were  far  away,  grieving  for 
her  uncle's  pain,  and  envisaging  the  desperate  future. 
At  the  first  water  we  reached  she  bathed  her  face  and 
eyes,  and  using  the  pool  as  a  mirror,  adjusted  her  hair. 
Then  she  smiled  bravely.  "I  will  try  to  be  a  true  com- 
rade, like  a  man,"  she  said.  "I  think  I  will  be  stronger 
when  I  have  slept  a  little." 

All  that  afternoon  we  stole  from  covert  to  covert. 
It  was  hot  and  oppressive  in  the  dense  woods,  where 
the  breeze  could  not  penetrate.  Shalah's  eagle  eyes 
searched  every  open  space  before  we  crossed,  but  we 

230 


OUR  ADVENTURE  RECEIVES  A  RECRUIT 

saw  nothing  to  alarm  us  In  time  we  came  to  the  place 
where  we  had  left  our  party,  and  it  was  easy  enough  to 
pick  up  their  road.  They  had  travelled  slowly,  keep- 
ing to  the  thickest  trees,  and  they  had  taken  no  pains  to 
cover  their  tracks,  for  they  had  argued  that  if  trouble 
came  it  would  come  from  the  front,  and  that  it  was 
little  likely  that  any  Indian  would  be  returning  thus 
soon  and  could  take  up  their  back  trail. 

Presently  we  came  to  a  place  where  the  bold  spurs 
of  the  hills  overhung  us,  and  the  gap  we  had  seen 
opened  up  into  a  deep  valley.  Shalah  went  in  ad- 
vance, and  suddenly  we  heard  a  word  pass.  We  en- 
tered a  cedar  glade,  to  find  our  four  companions  un- 
saddling the  horses  and  making  camp. 

The  sight  of  the  girl  held  them  staring.  Grey  grew 
pale  and  then  flushed  scarlet.  He  came  forward  and 
asked  me  abruptly  what  it  meant.  When  I  told  him  he 
bit  his  lips. 

"There  is  only  one  thing  to  be  done,"  he  said.  "We 
must  take  Miss  Blair  back  to  the  Tidewater.  I  insist, 
sir.  I  will  go  myself.  We  cannot  involve  her  in  our 
dangers." 

He  was  once  again  the  man  I  had  wrangled  with. 
His  eyes  blazed,  and  he  spoke  in  a  high  tone  of  com- 
mand. But  I  could  not  be  wroth  with  him;  indeed,  I 
liked  him  for  his  peremptoriness.  It  comforted  me  to 
think  that  Elspeth  had  so  warm  a  defender. 

I  nodded  to  Shalah.  "Tell  him,"  I  said,  and  Shalah 
spoke  with  him.  He  took  long  to  convince,  but  at  the 
end  he  said  no  more,  and  went  to  speak  to  Elspeth. 
I  could  see  that  she  lightened  his  troubled  mind  a  little, 

231 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

for,  having  accepted  her  fate,  she  was  resolute  to  make 
the  best  of  it.     I  even  heard  her  laugh. 

That  night  we  made  her  a  bower  of  green  branches, 
and  as  we  ate  our  supper  round  our  modest  fire  she  sat 
like  a  queen  among  us.  It  was  odd  to  see  the  way  in 
which  her  presence  affected  each  of  us.  With  her  Grey 
was  the  courtly  cavalier,  ready  with  a  neat  phrase  and 
a  line  from  the  poets.  Donaldson  and  Shalah  were 
unmoved:  no  woman  could  make  any  difference  to  their 
Mnlderness  silence.  The  Frenchman  Bertrand  grew 
almost  gay.  She  spoke  to  him  in  his  own  tongue,  and 
he  told  her  all  about  the  little  family  he  had  left  and 
his  days  in  far-away  France.  But  in  Ringan  was  the 
oddest  change.  Her  presence  kept  him  tongue-tied, 
and  when  she  spoke  to  him  he  was  embarrassed  into 
stuttering.  He  was  eager  to  serve  her  in  everything, 
but  he  could  not  look  her  in  the  face  or  answer  readily 
when  she  spoke.  This  man,  so  debonair  and  masterful 
among  his  fellows,  was  put  all  out  of  countenance  by  a 
wearied  girl.  I  do  not  suppose  he  had  spoken  to  a  gen- 
tlewoman for  ten  years. 


CHAPTER  XIX 


CLEARWATER  GLEN 


NEXT  morning  we  came  into  Clearwater  Glen. 
Shalah  spoke  to  me  of  it  before  we  started. 
He  did  not  fear  the  Cherokees,  who  had  come  from 
the  far  south  of  the  range  and  had  never  been  settled 
in  these  parts.  But  he  thought  that  there  might  be 
others  from  the  back  of  the  hills  who  would  have 
crossed  by  this  gap,  and  might  be  lying  in  the  lower 
parts  of  the  glen.  It  behoved  us,  therefore,  to  go  very 
warily.  Once  on  the  higher  ridges,  he  thought  we 
might  be  safe  for  a  time.  An  invading  army  has  no 
leisure  to  explore  the  rugged  summits  of  a  mountain. 

The  first  sight  of  the  place  gave  me  a  strong  emotion 
of  dislike.  A  little  river  brawled  in  a  deep  gorge,  fall- 
ing in  pools  and  linns  like  one  of  my  native  burns.  All 
its  course  was  thickly  shaded  with  bushes  and  knotted 
trees.  On  either  bank  lay  stretches  of  rough  hill  pas- 
ture, lined  with  dark  and  tangled  forests,  which  ran 
up  the  hill-side  till  the  steepness  of  the  slope  broke  them 
into  copses  of  stunted  pines  among  great  bluffs  of  rock 
and  raw  red  scaurs.  The  glen  was  very  narrow,  and 
the  mountains  seemed  to  beetle  above  it  so  as  to  shut 
out  half  the  sunlight.  The  air  was  growing  cooler,  with 
the  queer,  acrid  smell  in  it  that  high  hills  bring.     I  am 

233 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

a  great  lover  of  uplands,  and  the  sourest  peat-moss  has 
a  charm  for  me,  but  to  that  strange  glen  I  conceived 
at  once  a  determined  hate.  It  is  the  way  of  some  places 
with  some  men.  The  senses  perceive  a  hostility  for 
which  the  mind  has  no  proof,  and  In  my  experience  the 
senses  are  right. 

Part  of  my  discomfort  was  due  to  my  bodily  health. 
I  had  proudly  thought  myself  seasoned  by  those  hot 
Virginian  summers,  in  which  I  had  escaped  all  common 
ailments.  But  I  had  forgotten  what  old  hunters  had 
told  me,  that  the  hills  will  bring  out  a  fever  which  is 
dormant  In  the  plains.  Anyhow,  I  now  found  that  my 
head  was  dizzy  and  aching,  and  my  limbs  had  a  strange 
trembling.  The  fatigue  of  the  past  day  had  dragged 
me  to  the  limits  of  my  strength  and  made  me  an  easy 
victim.  My  heart,  too,  was  full  of  cares.  The  sight  of 
Elspeth  reminded  me  how  heavy  was  my  charge. 
'Twas  difficult  enough  to  scout  well  in  this  tangled 
place,  but,  forbye  my  duty  to  the  dominion,  I  had  the 
business  of  taking  one  who  was  the  light  of  my  life  into 
this  dark  land  of  bloody  secrets. 

The  youth  and  gaiety  were  going  out  of  my  quest. 
I  could  only  plod  along  dismally,  attentive  to  every 
movement  of  Shalah,  praying  incessantly  that  we  might 
get  well  out  of  it  all.  To  make  matters  worse,  the 
travelling  became  desperate  hard.  In  the  Tidewater 
there  were  bridle  paths,  and  In  the  vales  of  the  foot- 
hills the  going  had  been  good,  with  hard,  dry  soil  In 
the  woods,  and  no  hindrances  save  a  thicket  of  vines 
or  a  rare  windfall.  But  in  this  glen,  where  the  hill 
rains  beat,  there  was  no  end  to  obstacles.     The  open 

234 


CLEARWATER  GLEN 

spaces  were  marshy,  where  our  horses  sank  to  the 
hocks.  The  woods  were  one  medley  of  fallen  trees, 
rotting  into  touchwood,  hidden  boulders  and  matted 
briers.  Often  we  could  not  move  till  Donaldson  and 
Bertrand  with  their  hatchets  had  hewn  some  sort  of 
road.  All  this  meant  slow  progress,  and  by  midday  we 
had  not  gone  half-way  up  the  glen  to  the  neck  which 
meant  the  ridge  of  the  pass. 

This  was  an  occasion  when  RIngan  showed  at  his 
best.  He  had  lost  his  awe  of  Elspeth,  and  devoted 
himself  to  making  the  road  easy  for  her.  Grey,  who 
would  fain  have  done  the  same,  was  no  match  for  the 
seafarer,  and  had  much  ado  to  keep  going  himself. 
RIngan's  cheery  face  was  better  than  medicine.  His 
eyes  never  lost  their  dancing  light,  and  he  was  ready 
ever  with  some  quip  or  whimsy  to  tide  over  the  worst 
troubles.  We  kept  very  still,  but  now  and  again  Els- 
peth's  laugh  rang  out  at  his  fooling,  and  it  did  my 
heart  good  to  hear  it. 

After  midday  the  glen  seemed  to  grow  darker,  and 
I  saw  that  the  blue  sky,  which  I  had  thought  changeless, 
was  becoming  overcast.  As  I  looked  upwards  I  saw 
the  high  ridge  blotted  out  and  a  white  mist  creeping 
down.  I  had  noticed  for  some  time  that  Shalah  was 
growing  uneasy.  He  would  halt  us  often,  while  he 
went  a  little  way  on,  and  now  he  turned  with  so  grim 
a  look  that  we  stopped  without  bidding. 

He  slipped  into  the  undergrowth,  while  we  waited 
in  that  dark,  lonesome  place.  Even  RIngan  was  sober 
now. 

Elspeth  asked  In  a  low  voice  what  was  wrong,  and  I 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

told  her  that  the  Indian  was  uncertain  of  the  best  road. 

"Best  road!"  she  laughed.  "Then  pray  show  me 
what  you  call  the  worst." 

Ringan  grinned  at  me  ruefully.  "Where  do  you 
wish  yourself  at  this  moment,  Andrew?" 

"On  the  top  of  this  damned  mountain,"  I  grunted. 

"Not  for  me,"  he  said.  "Give  me  the  Dry  Tortugas, 
on  a  moonlight  night  when  the  breaming  fires  burn 
along  the  shore,  and  the  lads  are  singing  'Spanish 
Ladies.'  Or,  better  still,  the  little  isle  of  St.  John  the 
Baptist,  with  the  fine  yellow  sands  for  careening,  and 
Mother  Daria  brewing  bobadillo  and  the  trades  blow- 
ing fresh  in  the  tops  of  the  palms.  This  land  is  a 
gloomy  sort  of  business.  Give  me  the  bright,  change- 
ful sea." 

"And  I,"  said  Elspeth,  "would  be  threading  rowan 
berries  for  a  necklace  in  the  heather  of  Medwyn  Glen. 
It  must  be  about  four  o'clock  of  a  midsummer  after- 
noon and  a  cloudless  sky,  except  for  white  streamers 
over  Tinto.     Ah,  my  own  kind  countryside  1" 

Ringan's  face  changed. 

"You  are  right,  my  lady.  No  Tortugas  or  Spanish 
isles  for  Ninion  Campbell.  Give  him  the  steeps  of 
Glenorchy  on  an  October  morn  when  the  deer  have 
begun  to  bell.  My  sorrow,  but  we  are  far  enough 
from  our  desires — all  but  Andrew,  who  is  a  prosaic 
soul.     And  here  comes  Shalah  with  ugly  news!" 

The  Indian  spoke  rapidly  to  me.  "The  woods  are 
full  of  men.  I  do  not  think  we  are  discovered,  but 
we  cannot  stay  here.  Our  one  hope  is  to  gain  the 
cover  of  the  mist.    There  is  an  open  space  beyond  this 

236 


CLEARWATER  GLEN 

thicket,    and    we    must    ride    our    swiftest.      Quick, 
brother." 

"The  men?"  I  gasped.     "Cherokees?" 

"Nay,"  he  said,  "not  Cherokees.  I  think  they  are 
those  you  seek  from  beyond  the  mountains." 

The  next  half-hour  Is  a  mad  recollection,  wild  and 
confused  and  distraught  with  anxiety.  The  thought  of 
Elspeth  among  savages  maddened  me,  the  more  so  as 
she  had  just  spoken  of  Medwyn  Glen,  and  had  sent 
my  memory  back  to  fragrant  hours  of  youth.  We 
scrambled  out  of  the  thicket  and  put  our  weary  beasts 
to  a  gallop.  Happily  it  was  harder  ground,  albeit 
much  studded  with  clumps  of  fern,  and  though  we  all 
slipped  and  stumbled  often,  the)  horses  kept  their 
feet.  I  was  growing  so  dizzy  In  the  head  that  I  feared 
every  moment  I  would  fall  off.  The  mist  had  now 
come  low  down  the  hill,  and  lay  before  us,  a  line  of  grey 
vapour  drawn  from  edge  to  edge  of  the  vale.  It 
seemed  an  Infinite  long  way  off. 

Shalah  on  foot  kept  In  the  rear,  and  I  gathered 
from  him  that  the  danger  he  feared  was  behind.  Sud- 
denly as  I  stared  ahead  something  fell  ten  yards  In 
advance  of  us  in  a  long  curve,  and  stuck  quivering 
In  the  soil. 

It  was  an  Indian  arrow. 

We  would  have  reined  up  If  Shalah  had  not  cried 
on  us  to  keep  on.  I  do  not  think  the  arrow  was  meant 
to  strike  us.  'Twas  a  warning,  a  grim  jest  of  the  sav- 
ages   in   the   wood. 

Then  another  fell,  at  the  same  distance  before  our 
first  rider. 

237 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

Still  Shalah  cried  us  on.  I  fell  back  to  the  rear,  for 
If  we  were  to  escape  I  thought  there  might  be  need  of 
fighting  there.     I  felt  In  my  belt  for  my  loaded  pistols. 

We  were  now  in  a  coppice  again,  where  the  trees 
were  short  and  sparse.  Beyond  that  lay  another 
meadow,  and,  then,  not  a  quarter-mile  distant,  the 
welcome  line  of  the  mist,  every  second  drawing  down 
on  us. 

A  third  time  an  arrow  fell.  Its  flight  was  shorter 
and  dropped  almost  under  the  nose  of  Elspeth's  horse, 
which  swerved  violently,  and  would  have  unseated  a 
less  skilled  horse-woman. 

"On,  on,"  I  cried,  for  we  were  past  the  need  for 
silence,  and  when  I  looked  again,  the  kindly  fog  had 
swallowed  up  the  van  of  the  party. 

I  turned  and  gazed  back,  and  there  I  saw  a  strange 
sight.  A  dozen  men  or  more  had  come  to  the  edge 
of  the  trees  on  the  hill-side.  They  were  quite  near, 
not  two  hundred  yards  distant,  and  I  saw  them  clearly. 
They  carried  bows  or  muskets,  but  none  offered  to  use 
them.  They  were  tall  fellows,  but  lighter  In  the  colour 
than  any  Indians  I  had  seen.  Indeed,  they  were  as 
fair  as  many  an  Englishman,  and  their  slim,  golden- 
brown  bodies  were  not  painted  in  the  maniac  fashion 
of  the  Cherokees.  They  stood  stock  still,  watching  us 
with  a  dreadful  impassivity  which  was  more  frighten- 
ing to  me  than  violence.  Then  I,  too,  was  overtaken 
by  the  grey  screen. 

"Will  they  follow?"  I  asked  Shalah. 

"I  do  not  think  so.  They  are  not  hill-men,  and 
fear  the  high  places  where  the  gods  smoke.  Further- 
more, there  is  no  need." 

238 


CLEARWATER  GLEN 

"We  have  escaped,  then?"  I  asked,  with  a  great 
relief  in  my  voice. 

"Say  rather  we  have  been  shepherded  by  them  into 
a  fold.    They  will  find  us  when  they  desire  us." 

It  was  a  perturbing  thought,  but  at  any  rate  we  were 
safe  for  the  moment,  and  I  resolved  to  say  nothing 
to  alarm  the  others.  We  overtook  them  presently, 
and  Shalah  became  our  guide.  Not  that  more  guid- 
ing was  needed  than  Ringan  or  I  could  have  given,  for 
the  lift  of  the  ground  gave  us  our  direction,  and  there 
was  the  sound  of  a  falling  stream.  To  an  upland- 
bred  man  mist  is  little  of  a  hindrance,  unless  on  a 
featureless  moor. 

Ever  as  we  jogged  upward  the  air  grew  colder. 
Rain  was  blowing  in  our  teeth,  and  the  ferny  grass  and 
juniper  clumps  dripped  with  wet.  Almost  it  might 
have  been  the  Pentlands  or  the  high  mosses  between 
Douglas  Water  and  Clyde.  To  us  coming  fresh  from 
the  torrid  plains  it  was  bitter  weather,  and  I  feared 
for  Elspeth,  who  was  thinly  clad  for  the  hill-tops. 
Ringan  seemed  to  feel  the  cold  the  worst  of  us,  for  he 
had  spent  his  days  in  the  hot  seas  of  the  south.  He  put 
his  horse-blanket  over  his  shoulders,  and  cut  a  comical 
figure  with  his  red  face  peeping  from  its  folds. 

"Lord,"  he  would  cry,  "I  wish  I  was  In  the  Dry 
Tortugas  or  snug  in  the  beach-house  at  the  Isle  o' 
Pines.  This  minds  me  painfully  of  my  young  days, 
when  I  ran  in  a  ragged  kilt  in  the  cold  heather  of 
Cruachan.  I  must  be  getting  an  old  man,  Andrew, 
for  I  never  thought  the  hills  could  freeze  my  blood." 

Suddenly  the  fog  lightened  a  little,  the  slope  ceased, 
and  we  had  that  gust  of  freer  air  which  means  the 

239 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

top  of  the  pass.  My  head  was  less  dizzy  now,  and  I 
had  a  momentary  gladness  that  at  any  rate  we  had 
done  part  of  what  we  set  out  to  do. 

"Clearwater  Gap !"  I  cried.  "Except  for  old  Studd, 
we  are  the  first  Christians  to  stand  on  this  watershed." 

Below  us  lay  a  swimming  hollow  of  white  mist,  hid- 
ing I  knew  not  what  strange  country. 

From  the  vales  below  I  had  marked  the  He  of  the 
land  on  each  side  of  the  gap.  The  highest  ground  was 
to  the  right,  so  we  turned  up  the  ridge,  which  was 
easier  than  the  glen  and  better  travelling.  Presently 
we  were  among  pines  again,  and  got  a  shelter  from 
the  driving  rain.  My  plan  was  to  find  some  hollow  far 
up  the  mountain  side,  and  there  to  make  our  encamp- 
ment. After  an  hour's  riding,  we  came  to  the  very 
place  I  had  sought.  A  pocket  of  flat  land  lay  between 
two  rocky  knolls,  with  a  ring  of  good-sized  trees  around 
it.  The  spot  was  dry  and  hidden,  and  what  especially 
took  my  fancy  was  a  spring  of  water  which  welled 
up  in  the  centre,  and  from  which  a  tiny  stream  ran 
down  the  hill.  'Twas  a  fine  site  for  a  stockade,  and  so 
thought  Shalah  and  the  two  Borderers. 

There  was  much  to  do  to  get  the  place  ready,  and 
Donaldson  and  Bertrand  fell  to  with  their  axes  to  fell 
trees  for  the  fort.  Now  that  we  had  reached  the  first 
stage  in  our  venture,  my  mind  was  unreasonably  com- 
forted. With  the  buoyancy  of  youth,  I  argued  that 
since  we  had  got  so  far  we  must  get  farther.  Also 
the  fever  seemed  to  be  leaving  my  bones  and  my  head 
clearing.  Elspeth  was  almost  merry.  Like  a  child 
playing  at  making  house,  she  ordered  the  men  about 

240 


CLEARWATER  GLEN 

on  divers  errands.  She  was  a  fine  sight,  with  the 
wind  ruffling  her  hair  and  her  cheeks  reddened  from 
the  rain. 

Ringan  came  up  to  me.  "There  are  three  hours  of 
daylight  in  front  of  us.  What  say  you  to  make  for 
the  top  of  the  hills  and  find  Studd's  cairn?  I  need 
some  effort  to  keep  my  blood  running." 

I  would  gladly  have  stayed  behind,  for  the  fever 
had  tired  me,  but  I  could  not  be  dared  by  Ringan 
and  not  respond.  So  we  set  off  at  a  great  pace  up  the 
ridge,  which  soon  grew  very  steep,  and  forced  us  to  a 
crawl.  There  were  places  where  we  had  to  scramble 
up  loose  cliffs  amid  a  tangle  of  vines,  and  then  we 
would  dip  into  a  little  glade,  and  then  once  again 
breast  a  precipice.  By  and  by  the  trees  dropped  away, 
and  there  was  nothing  but  low  bushes  and  boulders 
and  rank  mountain  grasses.  In  clear  air  we  must  have 
had  a  wonderful  prospect,  but  the  mist  hung  close 
around  us,  the  drizzle  blurred  our  eyes,  and  the  most 
we  saw  was  a  yard  or  two  of  grey  vapour.  It  was 
easy  enough  to  find  the  road,  for  the  ridge  ran  up- 
wards as  narrow  as  a  hog's  back. 

Presently  it  ceased,  and  with  labouring  breath  we 
walked  a  step  or  two  on  flat  ground.  Ringan,  who 
was  in  front,  stumbled  over  a  little  heap  of  stones 
about  a  foot  high. 

"Studd  had  a  poor  notion  of  a  cairn,"  he  said,  as 
he  kicked  them  down.  There  was  nothing  beneath  but 
bare  soil. 

But  the  hunter  had  spoken  the  truth.  A  little  dig- 
ging in  the  earth  revealed  the  green  metal  of  an  old 

241 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

powder-flask  with  a  wooden  stopper.  I  forced  it  open, 
and  shook  from  its  inside  a  twist  of  very  dirty  paper. 
There  were  some  rude  scratchings  on  it  with  charcoal, 
which  I  read  with  difliculty. 

Sahit  to  Advent^s. 

Robb'ni  Studd  on  y<^  Suriiit  of  Mountaine  y<^  yd 

dy  of  June,  yr  1672  hathe  sene  y^ 

Promissd  Lande. 

Somehow  in  that  bleak  place  this  scrap  of  a  human 
message  wonderfully  uplifted  our  hearts.  Before  we 
had  thought  only  of  our  danger  and  cares,  but  now  we 
had  a  vision  of  the  reward.  Down  in  the  mists  lay  a 
new  world.  Studd  had  seen  it,  and  we  should  see  it; 
and  some  day  the  Virginian  people  would  drive  a  road 
through  Clearwater  Gap  and  enter  into  possession. 
It  is  a  subtle  joy  that  which  fills  the  heart  of  the  pioneer, 
and  mighty  unselfish  too.  He  does  not  think  of  pay- 
ment, for  the  finding  is  payment  enough.  He  does  not 
even  seek  praise,  for  it  is  the  unborn  generations  that 
will  call  him  blessed.  He  is  content,  like  Moses,  to 
leave  his  bones  in  the  wilderness  if  his  people  may 
pass  over  Jordan. 

Ringan  turned  the  flask  In  his  hands.  "A  good  man, 
this  old  Studd,"  he  said.  "I  like  his  words.  Salute  to 
Adventurers.  He  was  thinking  of  the  folk  that  should 
come  after  him,  which  is  the  mark  of  a  big  mind,  An- 
drew. Your  common  fellow  would  have  writ  some 
glorification  of  his  own  doings,  but  Studd  was  thinking 
of  the  thing  he  had  done  and  not  of  himself.  You 
say  he's  dead  these  ten  years.     Maybe  he's  looking 

242 


CLEARWATER  GLEN 

down  at  us  and  nodding  his  old  head  well  pleased. 
I  would  like  fine  to  drink  his  health." 

We  ran  down  the  hill,  and  came  to  the  encampment 
at  the  darkening.  Ringan,  who  had  retained  the  flask, 
presented  it  to  Elspeth  with  a  bow. 

"There,  mistress,"  he  says,  "there's  the  key  of  your 
new  estate." 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE   STOCKADE   AMONG  THE   PINES 

IT  took  US  a  heavy  day's  work  to  get  the  stockade 
finished.  There  were  only  the  two  axes  in  the 
party,  besides  Shalah's  tomahawk,  and  no  one  can 
know  the  labour  of  felling  and  trimming  trees  till  he 
has  tried  it.  We  found  the  horses  useful  for  dragging 
trunks,  and  but  for  them  should  have  made  a  poor 
job  of  it.  Grey's  white  hands  were  all  cut  and  blis- 
tered, and,  though  I  boasted  of  my  hardiness,  mine 
were  little  better.  Ringan  was  the  surprise,  for  you 
would  not  think  that  sailing  a  ship  was  a  good  appren- 
ticeship to  forestry.  But  he  was  as  skillful  as  Bertrand 
and  as  strong  as  Donaldson,  and  he  had  a  better  idea 
of  fortification  than  us  all  put  together. 

The  palisade  which  ran  round  the  camp  was  six  feet 
high,  made  of  logs  lashed  to  upright  stakes.  There 
was  a  gate  which  could  be  barred  heavily,  and  loop- 
holes were  made  every  yard  or  so  lor  musket  fire. 
On  one  side — that  facing  the  uplift  of  the  ridge — the 
walls  rose  to  nine  feet.  Inside  we  made  a  division. 
In  one  half  the  horses  were  picketed  at  night,  and 
the  other  was  our  dwelling.     For  Elspeth  we  made  a 

244 


THE  STOCKADE  AMONG  THE  PINES 

bower  in  one  corner,  which  we  thatched  with  pine 
branches;  but  the  rest  of  us  slept  in  the  open  round  the 
fire.  It  was  a  rough  place,  but  a  strong  one,  for  our 
water  could  not  be  cut  off,  and,  as  we  had  plenty  of 
ball  and  powder,  a  few  men  could  hold  it  against  a 
host.  To  each  was  allotted  his  proper  station,  in  case 
of  attack,  and  we  kept  watch  in  succession  like  soldiers 
in  war.  Ringan,  who  had  fought  in  many  places  up 
and  down  the  world,  was  our  general  in  these  mat- 
ters, and  a  rigid  martinet  we  found  him.  Shalah  was 
our  scout,  and  we  leaned  on  him  for  all  woodland 
work;  but  inside  the  palisade  Ringan's  word  was 
law. 

Our  plan  was  to  make  this  stockade  the  centre  for 
exploring  the  hills  and  ascertaining  the  strength  and 
purposes  of  the  Indian  army.  We  hoped,  and  so  did 
Shalah,  that  our  enemies  would  have  no  leisure  to 
follow  us  to  the  high  ridges;  that  what  risk  there  was 
would  be  run  by  the  men  on  their  spying  journeys; 
but  that^the  stockade  would  be  reasonably  safe.  It  was 
my  intention,  as  soon  as  I  had  sufficient  news,  to  send 
word  to  Lawrence,  and  we  thought  that  presently  the 
Rappahannock  forces  would  have  driven  the  Chero- 
kees  southward,  and  the  way  would  be  open  to  get 
Elspeth  back  to  the  Tidewater. 

The  worst  trouble,  as  I  soon  saw,  was  to  be  the  mat- 
ter of  food.  Tks  supplies  we  had  carried  were  all  but 
finished  by  what  we  ate  after  the  stockade  was  com- 
pleted. After  that  there  remained  only  a  single  bag 
of  flour,  another  bag  of  Indian  meal,  and  a  pound  or 
two  of  boucanned  beef,  besides  three  flasks  of  eau-de- 

245 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

vie,  which  Ringan  had  brought  in  a  leather  casket. 
The  forest  berries  were  not  yet  ripe,  and  the  only 
food  to  be  procured  was  the  flesh  of  the  wild  game. 
Happily  in  Donaldson  and  Bcrtrand  we  had  two  prac- 
tised trappers;  but  they  were  doubtful  about  success, 
for  they  had  no  knowledge  of  what  beasts  lived  in  the 
hills.  I  have  said  that  we  had  plenty  of  powder  and 
ball,  but  I  did  not  relish  the  idea  of  shooting  in  the 
woods,  for  the  noise  would  be  a  signal  to  our  foes. 
Still,  food  we  must  have,  and  I  thought  I  might  find  a 
secluded  place  where  the  echoes  of  a  shot  would  be 
muffled. 

The  next  morning  I  parcelled  up  the  company  ac- 
cording to  their  duties,  for  while  Ringan  was  captain 
of  the  stockade,  I  was  the  leader  of  the  venture.  I 
sent  out  Bertrand  and  Donaldson  to  trap  in  the  woods; 
Ringan,  with  Grey  and  Shalah,  stayed  at  home  to 
strengthen  still  further  the  stockade  and  protect  Els- 
peth;  while  I  took  my  musket  and  some  pack-thongs 
and  went  up  the  hill-side  to  look  for  game.  We  were 
trysted  to  be  back  an  hour  before  sundown,  and  if 
some  one  of  us  did  not  find  food  we  should  go  supper- 
less. 

That  day  is  a  memory  which  will  never  pass  from 
me.  The  weather  was  grey  and  lowering,  and  though 
the  rain  had  ceased,  the  air  was  still  heavy  with  it,  and 
every  bush  and  branch  dripped  with  moisture.  It  was  a 
poor  day  for  hunting,  for  the  eye  could  not  see  forty 
yards;  but  it  suited  my  purpose,  since  the  dull  air  would 
deaden  the  noise  of  my  musket.  I  was  hunting  alone 
in  a  strange  land  among  imminent  perils,  and  my  aim 

246 


THE  STOCKADE  AMONG  THE  PINES 

was  not  to  glorify  my  skill,  but  to  find  the  means  of 
life.  The  thought  strung  me  up  to  a  mood  where  de- 
light was  more  notable  than  care.  I  was  adventuring 
with  only  my  hand  to  guard  me  in  those  ancient, 
haunted  woods,  where  no  white  man  had  ever  before 
travelled.  To  experience  such  moments  is  to  live  with 
the  high  fervour  which  God  gave  to  mortals  before 
towns  and  laws  laid  their  dreary  spell  upon  them. 

Early  in  the  day  I  met  a  bear — the  second  I  had  seen 
in  my  life.  I  did  not  want  him,  and  he  disregarded 
me  and  shuffled  grumpily  down  the  hill-side.  I  had  to 
be  very  careful,  I  remember,  to  mark  my  path,  so  that 
I  could  retrace  it,  and  I  followed  the  Border  device  of 
making  a  chip  here  and  there  in  the  bark  of  trees,  and 
often  looking  backward  to  remember  the  look  of  the 
place  when  seen  from  the  contrary  side.  Trails  were 
easy  to  find  on  the  soft  ground,  but  besides  the  bear  I 
saw  none  but  those  of  squirrel  and  rabbit,  and  a  rare 
opossum.  But  at  last,  in  a  marshy  glen,  I  found  the 
fresh  slot  of  a  great  stag.  For  two  hours  and  more  I 
followed  him  far  north  along  the  ridge,  till  I  came  up 
with  him  in  a  patch  of  scrub  oak.  I  had  to  wait  long 
for  a  shot,  but  when  at  last  he  rose  I  planted  a  bullet 
fairly  behind  his  shoulder,  and  he  dropped  within  ten 
paces.  His  size  amazed  me,  for  he  was  as  big  as  a  cart- 
horse in  body,  and  carried  a  spread  of  branching  antlers 
like  a  forest  tree.  To  me,  accustomed  to  the  little  deer 
of  the  Tidewater,  this  great  creature  seemed  a  portent 
and  I  guessed  that  he  was  that  elk  which  I  had  heard 
of  from  the  Border  hunters.  Anyhow  he  gave  me 
wealth  of  food.     I  hid  some  in  a  cool  place,  and  took 

247 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

the  rest  with  me,  packed  in  bark,  in  a  great  bundle  on 
my  shoulders. 

The  road  back  was  easier  than  I  had  feared,  for  I 
had  the  slope  of  the  hill  to  guide  me ;  but  I  was  mor- 
tally weary  of  my  load  before  I  plumped  it  down  inside 
the  stockade.  Presently  Bertrand  and  Donaldson  re- 
turned. They  brought  only  a  few  rabbits,  but  they  had 
set  many  traps,  and  in  a  hill  burn  they  had  caught  some 
fine  golden-bellied  trout.  Soon  venison  steaks  and  fish 
were  grilling  in  the  embers,  and  Elspeth  set  to  baking 
cakes  on  a  griddle.  Those  left  behind  had  worked 
well,  and  the  palisade  was  as  perfect  as  could  be  con- 
trived. A  runlet  of  water  had  been  led  through  a  hol- 
low trunk  into  a  trough — also  hewn  from  a  log — close 
by  Elspeth's  bower,  where  she  could  make  her  toilet 
unperplexed  by  other  eyes.  Also  they  had  led  a  stream 
into  the  horses's  enclosure,  so  that  they  could  be  wat- 
ered with  ease. 

The  weather  cleared  in  the  evening,  as  it  often  does 
in  a  hill  country.  From  the  stockade  we  had  no  pros- 
pect save  the  reddening  western  sky,  but  I  liked  to  think 
that  in  a  little  walk  I  could  see  old  Studd's  Promised 
Land.  That  was  a  joy  I  reserved  for  myself  on  the 
morrow.  I  look  back  on  that  late  afternoon  with  de- 
light as  a  curious  interlude  of  peace.  We  had  forgot- 
ten that  we  were  fugitives  in  a  treacherous  land,  I  for 
one  had  forgotten  the  grim  purpose  of  our  quest,  and 
we  cooked  supper  as  If  we  were  a  band  of  careless  folk 
taking  our  pleasure  In  the  wilds.  Wood-smoke  Is  al- 
ways for  me  an  intoxication  like  strong  drink.  It  seems 
the  Incense  of  nature's  altar,  calling  up  the  shades  of 

248 


THE  STOCKADE  AMONG  THE  PINES 

the  old  forest  gods,  smacking  of  rest  and  comfort  In 
the  heart  of  solitude.  And  what  odour  can  vie  for 
hungry  folk  with  that  of  roasting  meat  in  the  clear 
hush  of  twilight?  The  sight  of  that  little  camp  is  still 
in  my  memory.  Elspeth  flitted  about  busied  with  her 
cookery,  the  glow  of  the  sunset  lighting  up  her  dark 
hair.  Bertrand  did  the  roasting,  crouched  like  a  gnome 
by  the  edge  of  the  fire.  Grey  fetched  and  carried  for 
the  cooks,  a  docile  and  cheerful  servant,  with  nothing 
in  his  look  to  recall  the  proud  gentleman  of  the  Tide- 
water. Donaldson  sat  on  a  log,  contentedly  smoking 
his  pipe,  while  Ringan,  whistling  a  strathspey,  attended 
to  the  horses.  Only  Shalah  stood  aloof,  his  eyes  fixed 
vacantly  on  the  western  sky,  and  his  ear  intent  on  the 
multitudinous  voices  of  the  twilit  woods. 

Presently  food  was  ready,  and  our  rude  meal  in  that 
darkling  place  was  a  merry  one.  Elspeth  sat  enthroned 
on  a  couch  of  pine  branches — I  can  see  her  yet  shielding 
her  face  from  the  blaze  with  one  little  hand,  and  di- 
viding her  cakes  with  the  other.  Then  we  lit  our  pipes, 
and  fell  to  the  long  tales  of  the  camp-fire.  Ringan  had 
a  story  of  a  black-haired  princess  of  Spain,  and  how 
for  love  of  her  two  gentlemen  did  marvels  on  the  seas. 
The  chief  one  never  returned  to  claim  her,  but  died  in 
a  fight  off  Cartagena,  and  wrote  a  fine  ballad  about  his 
mistress  which  Ringan  said  was  still  sung  in  the  taverns 
of  the  Main.  He  gave  a  verse  of  it,  a  wild,  sad  thing, 
with  tears  in  it  and  the  joy  of  battle.  After  that  we 
all  sang,  all  but  me,  who  have  no  voice.  Bertrand  had 
a  lay  of  Normandy,  about  a  lady  who  walked  in  the 
apple-orchards  and  fell  in  love  with  a  wandering  min- 

249 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

strel;  and  Donaldson  sang  a  rough  ballad  of  Virginia, 
in  which  a  man  weighs  the  worth  of  his  wife  against  a 
tankard  of  apple-jack.  Grey  sang  an  English  song 
about  the  north-country  maid  who  came  to  London,  and 
a  bit  of  the  chanty  of  the  Devon  men  who  sacked 
Santa  Fe  and  stole  the  Almirante's  daughter.  As  for 
Elspeth,  she  sang  to  a  soft  Scots  tune  the  tale  of  the 
Lady  of  Cassilis  who  followed  the  gipsy's  piping.  In 
it  the  gipsy  tells  of  what  he  can  offer  the  lady,  and  lo ! 
it  was  our  own  case ! — 

"And  ye  shall  wear  no  silken  gown, 

No  maid  shall  bind  your  hair; 
The  yellow  broom  shall  be  your  gem, 

Your  braid  the  heather  rare. 
Athwart  the  moor,  adown  the  hill, 

Across  the  world  away ! 
The  path  is  long  for  happy  hearts 

That  sing  to  greet  the  day, 
My  love, 

That  sing  to  greet  the  day." 

I  remember,  too,  the  last  verse  of  it: — 

"And  at  the  last  no  solemn  stole 

Shall  on  thy  breast  be  laid ; 
No  mumbling  priest  shall  speed  thy  soul, 

No  charnel-vault  thee  shade. 
But  by  the  shadowed  hazel  copse, 

Aneath  the  greenwood  tree, 
VV^here  airs  are  soft  and  waters  sing, 

Thou'lt  ever  sleep  by  me. 
My  love, 

Thou'lt  ever  sleep  by  me." 

Then  we  fell  to  talking  about  the  things  in  the  West 

250 


THE  STOCKADE  AMONG  THE  PINES 

that  no  man  had  yet  discovered,  and  Shalah,  to  whom 
our  songs  were  nothing,  now  lent  an  ear. 

"The  first  Virginians,"  said  Grey,  "thought  that 
over  the  hills  lay  the  western  ocean  and  the  road  to 
Cathay.  I  do  not  know,  but  I  am  confident  that  but 
a  little  way  west  we  should  come  to  water.  A  great 
river  or  else  the  ocean." 

Ringan  differed.  He  held  that  the  land  of  America 
was  very  wide  in  those  parts,  as  wide  as  south  of  the 
isthmus  where  no  man  had  yet  crossed  it.  Then  he 
told  us  of  a  sea-captain  who  had  travelled  inland  in 
Mexico  for  five  weeks  and  come  to  a  land  where  gold 
was  as  common  as  chuckie-stones,  and  a  great  people 
dwelt  who  worshipped  a  god  who  lived  in  a  mountain. 
And  he  spoke  of  the  holy  city  of  Manoa,  which  Sir 
Walter  Raleigh  sought,  and  which  many  had  seen  from 
far  hill-tops.  Likewise  of  the  wonderful  kings  who 
once  dwelt  in  Peru,  and  the  little  isle  in  the  Pacific 
where  all  the  birds  were  nightingales  and  the  Tree  of 
Life  flourished;  and  the  mountain  north  of  the  Main 
which  was  all  one  emerald.  "I  think,"  he  said,  "that, 
though  no  man  has  ever  had  the  fruition  of  these 
marvels,  they  are  likely  to  be  more  true  than  false. 
I  hold  that  God  has  kept  this  land  of  America  to  the 
last  to  be  the  loadstone  of  adventurers,  and  that  there 
are  greater  wonders  to  be  seen  than  any  that  man  has 
imagined.  The  pity  is  that  I  have  spent  my  best 
years  scratching  like  a  hen  at  its  doorstep  instead  of 
entering.  I  have  a  notion  some  day  to  travel  straight 
west  to  the  sunset.  I  think  I  should  find  death,  but  I 
might  see  some  queer  things  first." 

251 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

Then  Shalah  spoke  : — 

"There  was  once  a  man  of  my  own  people  who, 
when  he  came  to  man's  strength,  journeyed  westward 
with  a  wife.  He  travelled  all  his  days,  and  when  his 
eyes  were  dim  with  age  he  saw  a  great  water.  His 
spirit  left  him  on  Its  shore,  but  on  his  road  he  had 
begotten  a  son,  and  that  son  journeyed  back  towards 
the  rising  sun,  and  came  after  many  years  to  his  people 
again.  I  have  spoken  with  him  of  what  he  had 
seen." 

"And  what  was  that?"  asked  Ringan,  with  eager 
eyes. 

"He  told  of  plains  so  great  that  it  is  a  lifetime  to 
travel  over  them,  and  of  deserts  where  the  eagle  flying 
from  the  dawn  dies  of  drought  by  midday,  and  of 
mountains  so  high  that  birds  cannot  cross  them  but  are 
changed  by  cold  into  stone,  and  of  rivers  to  which  our 
little  waters  are  as  reeds  to  a  forest  cedar.  But  espe- 
cially he  spoke  of  the  fierce  warriors  that  ride  like  the 
wind  on  horses.  It  seems,  brother,  that  he  who  would 
reach  that  land  must   reach   also  the   Hereafter." 

"That's  the  place  for  me,"  Ringan  cried.  "What 
say  you,  Andrew?  When  this  affair  is  over,  shall  we 
make  a  bid  for  these  marvels?  I  can  cull  some  pretty 
adventurers  from  the  Free  Companions." 

"Nay,  I  am  for  moving  a  step  at  a  time,"  said  I. 
"I  am  a  trader,  and  want  one  venture  well  done  before 
I  begin  on  another.  I  shall  be  content  if  we  safely 
cross  these  mountains  on  which  we  are  now  perched." 

Ringan  shook  his  head.  "That  was  never  the  way 
of  the  Highlands.      'Better  a  bone  on  the   far-away 

252 


THE  STOCKADE  AMONG  THE  PINES 

hills  than  a  fat  sheep  In  the  meadows,'  says  the  Gael. 
What  say  you,  mistress?"  and  he  turned  to  Elspeth. 

"I  think  you  are  the  born  poet,"  said  she,  smiling, 
"and  that  Mr.  Garvald  is  the  sober  man  of  affairs. 
You  will  leap  for  the  top  of  the  wall  and  get  a  pros- 
pect while  Mr.  Garvald  will  patiently  pull  it  down." 

"Oh,  I  grant  that  Andrew  has  the  wisdom,"  said 
Ringan.  "That's  why  him  and  me's  so  well  agreed. 
It's  because  we  differ  much,  and  so  fit  together  like 
opposite  halves  of  an  apple.  ...  Is  your  traveller 
still  in  the  land  of  the  living?"  he  asked  Shalah. 

But  the  Indian  had  slipped  away  from  the  fireside 
circle,  and  I  saw  him  without  in  the  moonlight  stand- 
ing rigid  on  a  knoll  and  gazing  at  the  skies. 

Next  day  dawned  cloudless,  and  Shalah  and  I  spent 
it  in  a  long  journey  along  the  range.  We  kept  to  the 
highest  parts,  and  at  every  vantage-ground  we  scanned 
the  glens  for  human  traces.  By  this  time  I  had  found 
my  hill  legs,  and  could  keep  pace  even  with  the  In- 
dian's swift  stride.  The  ridge  of  mountains,  you  must 
know,  was  not  a  single  backbone,  but  broken  up  here 
and  there  by  valleys  into  two  and  even  three  ranges. 
This  made  our  scouting  more  laborious,  and  prevented 
us  from  getting  the  full  value  out  of  our  high  station. 
Mostly  we  kept  in  cover,  and  never  showed  on  a  sky- 
line. But  we  saw  nothing  to  prove  the  need  of  this 
stealth.  Only  the  hawks  wheeled,  and  the  wild  pigeons 
crooned;  the  squirrels  frisked  among  the  branches;  and 
now  and  then  a  great  deer  would  leap  from  Its  crouch 
and  hasten  into  the  coverts. 

253 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

But,  though  we  got  no  news,  that  journey  brought  to 
me  a  revelation,  for  I  had  my  glimpse  of  Studd's  Prom- 
ised Land.  It  came  to  me  early  in  the  day,  as  we  halted 
In  a  little  glade,  gay  with  wlllowherb  and  goldenrod, 
which  hung  on  a  shelf  of  the  hills  looking  westwards. 
The  first  streamers  of  morn  had  gone,  the  mists  had 
dried  up  from  the  valleys,  and  I  found  myself  looking 
into  a  deep  cleft  and  across  at  a  steep  pine-clad  moun- 
tain. Clearly  the  valley  was  split  by  this  mountain  into 
two  forks,  and  I  could  see  only  the  cool  depth  of  it 
and  catch  a  gleam  of  broken  water  a  mile  or  two  below. 
But  looking  more  to  the  north,  I  saw  where  the  vale 
opened,  and  then  I  had  a  vision  worthy  of  the  name 
by  which  Studd  had  baptized  it.  An  immense  green 
pasture  land  ran  out  to  the  dim  horizon.  There  were 
forests  scattered  athwart  it,  and  single  great  trees,  and 
little  ridges,  too,  but  at  the  height  where  we  stood  it 
seemed  to  the  eye  to  be  one  verdant  meadow  as  trim 
and  shapely  as  the  lawn  of  a  garden.  A  noble  river,  the 
child  of  many  hill  streams,  twined  through  it  in  shining 
links.  I  could  see  dots,  which  I  took  to  be  herds  of  wild 
cattle  grazing,  but  no  sign  of  any  human  dweller. 

"What  is  it?"  I  asked  unthinkingly. 

"The  Shenandoah,"  Shalah  said,  and  I  never 
stopped  to  ask  how  he  knew  the  name.  He  was  gazing 
at  the  sight  with  hungry  eyes,  he  whose  gaze  was,  for 
usual,  so  passionless. 

That  prospect  gave  me  a  happy  feeling  of  comfort; 
why,  I  cannot  tell,  except  that  the  place  looked  so 
bright  and  habitable.  Here  was  no  sour  wilderness, 
but  a  land  made  by  God  for  cheerful  human  dwellings. 

254 


THE  STOCKADE  AMONG  THE  PINES 

Some  day  there  would  be  orchards  and  gardens  among 
those  meadows,  and  miles  of  golden  corn,  and  the 
smoke  of  hearth  fires.  Some  day  I  would  enter  into 
that  land  of  Canaan  which  now  I  saw  from  Pisgah. 
Some  day — and  I  scarcely  dared  the  thought — my  chil- 
dren would  call  it  home. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

A   HAWK  SCREAMS   IN  THE   EVENING 

THOSE  two  days  in  the  stockade  were  like  a  rift 
of  sun  in  a  stormy  day,  and  the  next  morn  the 
clouds  descended.  The  face  of  nature  seemed  to  be  a 
mirror  of  our  fortunes,  for  when  I  woke  the  freshness 
had  gone  out  of  the  air,  and  in  the  overcast  sky  there 
was  a  forewarning  of  storm.  But  the  little  party  in 
the  camp  remained  cheerful  enough.  Donaldson  and 
Bertrand  went  off  to  their  trapping;  Elspeth  was  braid- 
ing her  hair,  the  handsomest  nymph  that  ever  trod 
these  woodlands,  and  trying  in  vain  to  discover  from 
the  discreet  Ringan  where  he  came  from,  and  what  was 
his  calling.  The  two  Borderers  knew  well  who  he  was; 
Grey,  I  think,  had  a  suspicion ;  but  it  never  entered  the 
girl's  head  that  this  debonair  gentleman  bore  the  best 
known  name  in  all  the  Americas.  She  fancied  he  was 
some  exiled  Jacobite,  and  was  ready  to  hear  a  pitiful 
romance.  This  at  another  time  she  would  have  readily 
got;  but  Ringan  for  the  nonce  was  in  a  sober  mood,  and 
though  he  would  talk  of  Breadalbane,  was  chary  of 
touching  on  more  recent  episodes.  All  she  learned  was 
that  he  was  a  great  traveller,  and  had  tried  most  call- 
ings that  merit  a  gentleman's  interest. 

256 


A  HAWK  SCREAMS  IN  THE  EVENING 

The  day  before,  Shalah  and  I  had  explored  the  range 
to  the  south,  keeping  on  the  west  side  where  we  thought 
the  enemy  were  likely  to  gather.  This  day  we  looked 
to  the  side  facing  the  Tidewater,  a  difficult  job,  for  it 
was  eaten  into  by  the  upper  glens  of  many  rivers.  The 
weather  grew  hot  and  oppressive,  and  over  the  low- 
lands of  Virginia  there  brooded  a  sullen  thundercloud. 
It  oppressed  my  spirits,  and  I  found  myself  less  able  to 
keep  up  with  Shalah.  The  constant  sight  of  the  low- 
lands filled  me  with  anxiety  for  what  might  be  happen- 
ing in  those  sullen  blue  flats.  Gone  was  the  glad  for- 
getfulness  of  yesterday.  The  Promised  Land  might 
smile  as  it  pleased,  but  we  were  still  on  the  flanks  of 
Pisgah  with  the  Midianites  all  about  us. 

My  recollection  of  that  day  is  one  of  heavy  fatigue 
and  a  pressing  hopelessness.  Shalah  behaved  oddly, 
for  he  was  as  restive  as  a  frightened  stag.  No  covert 
was  unsuspected  by  him,  and  if  I  ventured  to  raise  my 
head  on  any  exposed  ground  a  long  brown  arm  pulled 
me  down.  He  would  make  no  answer  to  my  questions 
except  a  grunt.  All  this  gave  me  the  notion  that  the 
hills  were  full  of  the  enemy,  and  I  grew  as  restive  as 
the  Indian.  The  crackle  of  a  branch  startled  me,  and 
the  movement  of  a  scared  beast  brought  my  heart  to 
my  throat. 

Then  from  a  high  place  he  saw  something  which  sent 
us  both  crawling  into  the  thicket.  We  made  a  circuit 
of  several  miles  round  the  head  of  a  long  ravine,  and 
came  to  a  steep  bank  of  red  screes.  Up  this  we  wormed 
our  way,  as  flat  as  snakes,  with  our  noses  in  the  dusty 
earth.     I  was  dripping  with  sweat,  and  cursing  to  my- 

257 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

self  this  new  madness  of  Shalah's.  Then  I  found  a 
cooler  air  blowing  on  the  top  of  my  prostrate  skull, 
and  I  judged  that  we  were  approaching  the  scarp  of  a 
ridge.  Shalah's  hand  held  me  motionless.  He  wrig- 
gled on  a  little  farther,  and  with  immense  slowness 
raised  his  head.  His  hand  now  beckoned  me  forward, 
and  in  a  few  seconds  I  was  beside  him  and  was  lifting 
my  eyes  over  the  edge  of  the  scarp. 

Below  us  lay  a  little  plain,  wedged  in  between  two 
mountains,  and  breaking  off  on  one  side  into  a  steep 
glen.  It  was  just  such  a  shelf  as  I  had  seen  in  the 
Carolinas,  only  a  hundred  times  greater,  and  it  lay 
some  five  hundred  feet  below  us.  Every  part  of  the 
hollow  was  filled  with  men.  Thousands  there  must 
have  been,  around  their  fires  and  teepees,  and  coming 
or  going  from  the  valley.  They  were  silent,  like  all 
savages,  but  the  low  hum  rose  from  the  place  which  told 
of  human  life. 

I  tried  to  keep  my  eyes  steady,  though  my  heart  was 
beating  like  a  fanner.  The  men  were  of  the  same  light 
colour  and  slimness  as  those  I  had  seen  on  the  edge  of 
the  mist  in  Clearwater  Glen.  Indeed,  they  were  not 
unlike  Shalah,  except  that  he  was  bigger  than  the  most 
of  them.  I  was  not  learned  in  Indian  ways,  but  a 
glance  told  me  that  these  folk  never  came  out  of  the 
Tidewater,  and  were  no  Cherokees  of  the  hills  or 
Tuscaroras  from  the  Carolinas.  They  were  a  new  race 
from  the  west  or  the  north,  the  new  race  which  had  so 
long  been  perplexing  us.  Somewhere  among  them  was 
the  brain  which  had  planned  for  the  Tidewater  a  sud- 
den destruction. 

258 


A  HAWK  SCREAMS  IN  THE  EVENING 

Shalah  slipped  noiselessly  backward,  and  I  followed 
him  down  the  scree  slope,  across  the  ravine,  and  then 
with  infinite  caution  through  the  sparse  woods  till  we 
had  put  a  wide  shoulder  of  hill  between  us  and  the 
enemy.  After  that  we  started  running,  such  a  pace  as 
made  the  rush  back  to  the  Rappahannock  seem  an  easy 
saunter.  Shalah  would  avoid  short-cuts  for  no  reason 
that  I  could  see,  and  make  long  circuits  in  places  where 
I  had  to  go  on  hands  and  feet.  I  was  weary  before  we 
set  out,  and  soon  I  began  to  totter  like  a  drunken  man. 
The  Indian's  arm  pulled  me  up  countless  times,  and 
his  face,  usually  so  calm,  was  now  sharp  with  care. 
"You  cannot  fail  here,  brother,"  he  would  say.  "On 
our  speed  hang  the  lives  of  all."  That  put  me  on  my 
mettle,  for  it  was  Elspeth's  safety  I  now  strove  for,  and 
the  thought  gave  life  to  my  leaden  limbs.  Every  min- 
ute the  air  grew  heavier,  and  the  sky  darker,  so  that 
when  about  five  in  the  afternoon  we  passed  the  Gap 
and  struggled  up  the  last  hill  to  the  stockade,  It  seemed 
as  if  night  had  already  fallen. 

Elspeth  and  Ringan  were  there,  and  the  two  trappers 
had  just  returned.  I  could  do  nothing  but  pant  on  the 
ground,  but  Shalah  cried  out  for  news  of  Grey.  He 
heard  that  he  had  gone  Into  the  woods  with  his  musket 
two  hours  past.  At  this  he  flung  up  his  hands  with  a 
motion  of  despair.  "We  cannot  wait,"  he  said  to  Rin- 
gan. "Close  the  gate  and  put  every  man  to  his  post, 
for  the  danger  is  at  hand." 

Ringan  gave  his  orders.  The  big  log  gate  was 
barred,  the  fire  trampled  out,  and  we  waited  in  that 
thunderous  darkness.     A  long  draught  of  cold  water 

259 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

had  revived  me,  and  I  could  think  clearly  of  Elspeth. 
Her  bower  was  in  the  safest  part  of  the  stockade,  but 
she  would  not  stay  there.  I  could  see  terror  in  her 
eyes,  but  she  gave  no  sign  of  it.  She  made  ready  our 
supper  of  cold  meat  as  if  she  had  no  other  thought  in 
the  world. 

Waiting  on  an  attack  is  a  hard  trial  for  mortal 
nerves.  I  am  not  ashamed  to  confess  that  in  those  min- 
utes my  courage  was  little  to  boast  of.  I  envied  Ringan 
his  ease,  and  Bertrand  his  light  cheerfulness,  and  Don- 
aldson his  unshaken  gravity,  and  especially  I  envied 
Shalah  his  god-like  calm.  But  most  of  all  I  envied 
Elspeth  the  courage  which  could  know  desperate  fear 
and  never  show  it.  Most  likely  I  did  myself  some 
wrong.  Most  likely  my  own  face  was  firm  enough, 
but,  if  it  were,  'twas  a  poor  clue  to  the  brain  behind  it. 
I  fell  to  wondering  about  Grey  still  travelling  in  the 
woods.  Was  there  any  hope  for  him?  Was  there 
hope,  indeed,  for  any  one  of  us  penned  in  a  wooden 
palisade  fifty  miles  from  aid,  a  handful  against  an 
army? 

Presently  in  the  lowering  silence  came  the  scream  of 
a  hawk. 

An  uncommon  sound,  half  croak,  half  cry,  which 
only  hill  dwellers  know,  but  'tis  an  eery  noise  in  the 
wilderness.  It  came  again,  less  near,  and  a  third  time 
from  a  great  distance.  I  thought  it  queer,  for  a  hawk 
does  not  scream  twice  in  the  same  hour.  I  looked  at 
Shalah,  who  stood  by  the  gate,  every  sinew  in  his  body 
taut  with  expectation.     He  caught  my  eye. 

"That  hawk  never  flew  on  wings,"  he  said. 

260 


A  HAWK  SCREAMS  IN  THE  EVENING 

Then  an  owl  hooted,  and  from  near  at  hand  came 
the  cough  of  a  deer.  The  thicket  was  alive  with  life, 
which  mimicked  the  wild  things  of  the  woods. 

Then  came  a  sound  which  drowned  all  others.  From 
the  inky  sky  descended  a  jagged  line  of  light,  and  in  the 
same  second  the  crash  of  the  thunder  broke.  Never 
have  I  seen  such  a  storm.  Down  in  the  Tidewater  we 
had  thunderstorms  in  plenty  during  the  summer-time, 
but  they  growled  and  passed  and  scarce  ruffled  the  even 
blue  of  the  sky.  But  here  it  looked  as  if  we  had  found 
the  home  of  the  lightnings,  where  all  the  thunderbolts 
were  forged.  It  blazed  around  us  like  a  steady  fire. 
By  a  miracle  the  palisade  was  not  struck,  but  I  heard 
a  rending  and  splintering  in  the  forest  where  tall  trees 
had  met  their  doom.  The  noise  deafened  me,  and  con- 
fused my  senses.  Out  of  the  loophole  I  could  see  the 
glade  that  sloped  down  to  the  Gap,  and  it  was  as  bright 
as  if  it  had  been  high  noonday.  The  clumps  of  fern 
and  grass  stood  out  yellow  and  staring  against  the  inky 
background  of  the  trees.  I  remember  I  noted  a  rabbit 
run  confusedly  into  the  open,  and  then  at  a  fresh  flare 
of  lightning  scamper  back. 

Something  was  crouching  and  shivering  at  my  side. 
I  found  it  was  Elspeth,  whose  courage  was  no  match 
for  the  terrors  of  the  heavens.  She  snuggled  against 
me  for  companionship,  and  hid  her  face  in  the  sleeve 
of  my  coat. 

Suddenly  came  a  cry  from  Shalah  on  my  left.  He 
pointed  his  hand  to  the  glade,  and  in  it  I  saw  a  man 
running.  A  new  burst  of  light  sprang  up,  for  some 
dry  tindery  creepers  had  caught  fire,  and  were  blazing 

261 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

to  heaven.  It  lit  a  stumbling  figure,  which  I  saw  was 
Grey,  and  behind  him  was  a  lithe  Indian  running  on  his 
trail. 

"Open  the  gate,"  I  cried,  and  I  got  my  musket  in 
the  loophole. 

The  fugitive  was  all  but  spent.  He  ran,  bowed  al- 
most to  the  ground,  with  a  wild  back  glance  ever  and 
again  over  his  shoulder.  His  pursuer  gained  on  him 
with  great  strides,  and  in  his  hand  he  carried  a  bare 
knife.  I  dared  not  shoot,  for  Grey  was  between  me 
and  his  enemy. 

'Twas  as  well  I  could  not,  for  otherwise  Grey  would 
never  have  reached  us  alive.  We  cried  to  him  to 
swerve,  and  the  sound  of  our  voices  brought  up  that 
last  flicker  of  hope  which  waits  till  the  end  in  every 
man.  He  seemed  actually  to  gain  a  yard,  and  now  he 
was  near  enough  for  us  to  see  his  white  face  and  staring 
eyes.  Then  he  stumbled,  and  the  man  with  the  knife 
was  almost  on  him.  But  he  found  his  feet  again, 
and  swerved  like  a  hunted  hare  in  one  desperate 
bound.  This  gave  me  my  chance,  my  musket  cracked, 
and  the  Indian  pitched  quietly  to  the  ground.  The 
knife  flew  out  of  his  hand  and  almost  touched  Grey's 
heel. 

With  the  sound  Shalah  had  leaped  from  the  gate, 
picked  up  Grey  like  a  child,  and  in  a  second  had  him 
inside  the  palisade  and  the  bars  down.  He  was  none 
too  soon,  for  as  his  pursuer  fell  a  flight  of  arrows  broke 
from  the  thicket,  and  had  I  shot  earlier  Grey  had  died 
of  them.  As  it  was  they  were  too  late.  The  bowmen 
rushed  into  the  glade,  and  five  muskets  from  our  side 

262 


A  HAWK  SCREAMS  IN  THE  EVENING 

took  toll  of  them.  My  last  vision  was  of  leaping  yel- 
low devils  capering  from  among  blazing  trees. 

Then  without  warning  it  was  dark  again,  and  from 
the  skies  fell  a  deluge  of  rain.  In  a  minute  the  burn- 
ing creepers  were  quenched,  and  the  whole  world  was 
one  pit  of  ink,  with  the  roar  as  of  a  thousand  torrents 
about  our  ears.  As  the  vividness  of  the  lightning,  so 
was  the  weight  of  the  rain.  Ringan  cried  to  us  to  stand 
to  our  places,  for  now  was  the  likely  occasion  for  at- 
tack; but  no  human  being  could  have  fought  in  such 
weather.  Indeed,  we  could  not  hear  him;  and  he  had 
to  stagger  round  and  shout  his  command  into  each  sev- 
eral ear.  The  might  of  the  deluge  almost  pressed  me 
to  the  earth.  I  carried  Elspeth  into  her  bower,  but  the 
roof  of  branches  was  speedily  beaten  down,  and  it  was 
no  better  than  a  peat  bog. 

That  overwhelming  storm  lasted  for  maybe  a  quar- 
ter of  an  hour,  and  then  it  stopped  as  suddenly  as  it 
came.  Inside  the  palisade  the  ground  swam  like  a  loch, 
and  from  the  hill-side  came  the  rumour  of  a  thousand 
swollen  streams.  That,  with  the  heavy  drip  of  laden 
branches,  made  sound  enough,  but  after  the  thunder 
and  the  downpour  it  seemed  silence  itself.  Presently 
when  I  looked  up  I  saw  that  the  black  wrack  was  clear- 
ing from  the  sky,  and  through  a  gap  there  shone  a 
watery  star. 

Ringan  took  stock  of  our  defences,  and  doled  out  to 
each  a  portion  of  sodden  meat.  Grey  had  found  his 
breath  by  this  time,  and  had  got  a  spare  musket,  for  his 
own  had  been  left  in  the  woods.  Elspeth  had  had  her 
wits  sorely  jangled  by  the  storm,  and  in  the  revulsion 

263 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

was  on  the  brink  of  tears.  She  was  very  tender  to- 
wards Grey's  condition,  and  the  sight  gave  me  no 
jealousy,  for  In  that  tense  hour  all  things  were  fogotten 
but  life  and  death.  Donaldson,  at  Ringan's  bidding, 
saw  to  the  feeding  of  the  horses  as  If  he  were  In  his 
own  stable  on  the  Rappahannock.  It  takes  all  sorts  of 
men  to  make  a  world,  but  I  thought  at  the  time  that 
for  this  business  the  steel  nerves  of  the  Borderer  were 
worth  many  quicker  brains  and  more  alert  spirits. 

The  hours  marched  sombrely  towards  midnight, 
while  we  stayed  every  man  by  his  post.  I  asked  Shalah 
If  the  enemy  had  gone,  and  he  shook  his  head.  He  had 
the  sense  of  a  wild  animal  to  detect  danger  In  the  forest 
when  the  eye  and  ear  gave  no  proof.  He  stood  like  a 
stag,  sniffing  the  night  air,  and  peering  with  his  deep 
eyes  Into  the  gloom.  Fortunately,  though  the  moon 
was  all  but  full,  the  sky  was  so  overcast  that  only  the 
faintest  yellow  glow  broke  Into  the  darkness  of  the 
hill-tops. 

It  must  have  been  an  hour  after  midnight  when  we 
got  our  next  warning  of  the  enemy.  Suddenly  a  fire- 
brand leaped  from  farther  up  the  hill,  and  flew  in  a 
wide  curve  Into  the  middle  of  the  stockade.  It  fell  on 
the  partition  between  the  horses  and  ourselves  and 
hung  crackling  there.  A  shower  of  arrows  followed  it, 
which  missed  us,  for  we  were  close  to  the  edges  of  the 
palisade.  But  the  sputtering  torch  was  a  danger,  for 
presently  it  would  show  our  position;  so  Bertrand  very 
gallantly  pulled  it  down,  stamped  it  out,  and  got  back 
to  his  post  unscathed. 

Yet  the   firebrand  had  done   Its  work,   for   it  had 

264 


A  HAWK  SCREAMS  IN  THE  EVENING 

showed  the  savages  where  the  horses  stood  picketed. 
Another  followed,  lighting  in  their  very  midst,  and 
setting  them  plunging  at  their  ropes. 

I  heard  Ringan  curse  deeply,  for  we  had  not  thought 
of  this  stratagem.  And  the  next  second  I  became  aware 
that  there  was  some  one  among  the  horses.  At  first 
I  thought  that  the  palisade  had  been  stormed,  and  then 
I  heard  a  soft  voice  which  was  no  Indian's.  Heedless 
of  orders,  I  flung  myself  at  the  rough  gate,  and  in  a 
trice  was  beside  the  voice. 

Elspeth  was  busy  among  the  startled  beasts.  She 
had  a  passion  for  horses,  and  had,  as  we  say,  the 
"cool"  hand  with  them,  for  she  would  soothe  a  fright- 
ened stallion  by  rubbing  his  nose  and  whispering  in  his 
ear.  By  the  time  I  got  to  her  she  had  stamped  out  the 
torch,  and  was  stroking  Grey's  mare,  which  was  the 
worst  scared.  Her  own  fear  had  gone,  and  in  that  place 
of  plunging  hooves  and  tossing  manes  she  was  as  calm 
as  in  a  summer  garden.  "Let  me  be,  Andrew,"  she 
said.     "I  am  better  at  this  business  than  you." 

She  had  the  courage  of  a  lion,  but  'twas  a  wild 
courage,  without  foresight.  Another  fire-brand  came 
circling  through  the  darkness,  and  broke  on  the  head 
of  Donaldson's  pony.  I  caught  the  girl  and  swung  her 
off  her  feet  into  safety.  And  then  on  the  heels  of  the 
torch  came  a  flight  of  arrows,  fired  from  near  at  hand. 

By  the  mercy  of  God  she  was  unharmed.  I  had 
one  through  the  sleeve  of  my  coat,  but  none  reached 
her.  One  took  a  horse  in  the  neck,  and  the  poor  crea- 
ture screamed  pitifully.  Presently  there  was  a  wild 
confusion  of  maddened  beasts,  with  the  torch  burning 

265 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

on  the  ground  and  lighting  the  whole  place  for  the 
enemy.  I  had  Elspeth  in  my  arms,  and  was  carrying 
her  to  the  gate,  when  over  the  palisade  I  saw  yellow 
limbs  and  fierce  faces. 

They  saw  it  too — Ringan  and  the  rest — and  it  did 
not  need  his  cry  to  keep  our  posts  to  tell  us  the  right 
course.  The  inner  palisade  which  shut  off  the  horses 
must  now  be  our  line  of  defence,  and  the  poor  beasts 
must  be  left  to  their  fate.  But  Elspeth  and  I  had  still 
to  get  inside  it. 

Her  ankle  had  caught  in  a  picket  rope,  which  in  an- 
other second  would  have  wrenched  it  cruelly,  had  I  not 
slashed  it  free  with  my  knife.  This  sent  the  horse 
belonging  to  it  in  wild  career  across  the  corral,  and  I 
think  'twas  that  interruption  which  saved  our  lives.  It 
held  back  the  savages  for  an  instant  of  time,  and  pre- 
vented them  blocking  our  escape.  It  all  took  place  in 
the  flutter  of  an  eyelid,  though  it  takes  long  in  the 
telling.  I  pushed  Elspeth  through  the  door,  and  with 
all  my  strength  tore  at  the  bars. 

But  they  would  not  move.  Perhaps  the  rain  had 
swollen  the  logs,  and  they  had  jammed  too  tightly  to 
let  the  bar  slide  in  the  groove.  So  I  found  myself  in 
that  gate,  the  mad  horses  and  the -savages  before  me, 
and  my  friends  at  my  back,  with  only  my  arm  to  hold 
the  post. 

I  had  my  musket  and  my  two  pistols — three  shots,  for 
there  would  be  no  time  to  reload.  A  yellow  shadow 
slipped  below  a  horse's  belly,  and  there  came  the  cry  of 
an  animal's  agony.  Then  another  and  another,  and 
yet  more.     But  no  one  came  near  me  in  the  gateway. 

266 


A  HAWK  SCREAMS  IN  THE  EVENING 

I  could  not  see  anything  to  shoot  at — only  lithe  shades 
and  mottled  shadows,  for  the  torch  lay  on  the  wet 
ground,  and  was  sputtering  to  its  end.  The  moaning 
of  the  horses  maddened  me,  and  I  sent  a  bullet  through 
the  head  of  my  own  poor  beast,  which  was  writhing 
horribly.  Elspeth's  horse  got  the  contents  of  my  sec- 
ond pistol. 

And  then  it  seemed  that  the  raiders  had  gone.  There 
was  one  bit  of  the  far  palisade  which  was  outlined  for 
me  dimly  against  a  gap  in  the  trees.  I  saw  a  figure  on 
it,  and  whipped  my  musket  to  my  shoulder.  Something 
flung  up  its  arms  and  toppled  back  among  the  dying 
beasts. 

Then  a  hand — Donaldson's,  I  think — clutched  me 
and  pulled  me  back.  With  a  great  effort  the  bars  were 
brought  down,  and  I  found  myself  beside  Elspeth.  All 
her  fortitude  had  gone  now,  and  she  was  sobbing  like 
a  child. 

Gradually  the  moaning  of  the  horses  ceased,  and  the 
whole  world  seemed  cold  and  silent  as  a  stone.  We 
stood  our  watch  till  a  wan  sunrise  struggled  up  the  hill- 
side. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

HOW  A  FOOL  MUST  GO  HIS  OWN  ROAD 

IT  was  a  sorry  party  that  looked  at  each  other  In  the 
first  light  of  dawn. 

Our  eyes  were  hollow  with  suspense,  and  all  but 
Shalah  haa  the  hunted  look  of  men  caught  in  a  trap. 
Not  till  the  sun  had  got  above  the  tree-tops  did  we 
venture  to  leave  our  posts  and  think  of  food.  It  was 
now  that  Elspeth's  spirit  showed  supreme.  The  cour- 
age of  that  pale  girl  put  us  all  to  the  blush.  She  alone 
carried  her  head  high  and  forced  an  air  of  cheerful- 
ness. She  lit  the  fire  with  Donaldson's  help,  and  broiled 
some  deer's  flesh  for  our  breakfast,  and  whistled  gently 
as  she  wrought,  bringing  into  our  wild  business  a  breath 
of  the  orderly  comfort  of  home.  I  had  seen  her  In  silk 
and  lace,  a  queen  among  the  gallants,  but  she  never 
looked  so  fair  as  on  that  misty  morning,  her  hair  stray- 
ing over  her  brow,  her  plain  kirtle  soiled  and  sodden, 
but  her  eyes  bright  with  her  young  courage. 

During  the  last  hours  of  that  dark  vigil  my  mind  had, 
been  torn  with  cares.     If  we  escaped  the  perils  of  the 
night,   I   asked  myself,   what  then?     Here  were   the 
seven  of  us,  pinned  in  a  hill-fort,  with  no  help  within 

268 


HOW  A  FOOL  MUST  GO  HIS  OWN  ROAD 

fifty  miles,  and  one  of  the  seven  was  a  woman!  I 
judged  that  the  Indian  force  was  large,  and  there  was 
always  the  mighty  army  waiting  farther  south  in  that 
shelf  of  the  hills.  If  they  sought  to  take  us,  it  must  be 
a  matter  of  a  day  or  two  at  the  most  till  they  suc- 
ceeded. If  they  only  played  with  us — which  is  the 
cruel  Indian  way — we  might  resist  a  little,  but  starva- 
tion would  beat  us  down.  Where  were  we  to  get  food, 
with  the  forests  full  of  our  subtle  enemies?  To  sit 
still  would  mean  to  wait  upon  death,  and  the  waiting 
would  not  be  long. 

There  was  the  chance,  to  be  sure,  that  the  Indians 
would  be  drawn  off  in  the  advance  towards  the  east. 
But  here  came  in  a  worse  anxiety.  I  had  come  to  get 
news  to  warn  the  Tidewater.  That  news  I  had  got. 
The  mighty  gathering  which  Shalah's  eyes  and  mine 
had  beheld  in  that  upland  glen  was  the  peril  we  had 
foreseen.  What  good  were  easy  victories  over  raiding 
Cherokees  when  this  deadly  host  waited  on  the  leash? 
I  had  no  doubt  that  the  Cherokees  were  now  broken. 
Stafford  county  would  be  full  of  Nicholson's  militia, 
and  Lawrence's  strong  hand  lay  on  the  line  of  the 
Borders.  But  what  availed  it?  While  Virginia  was 
flattering  herself  that  she  had  repelled  the  savages, 
and  the  Rappahannock  men  were  notching  their  mus- 
kets with  the  tale  of  the  dead,  a  wave  was  gathering  to 
sweep  down  the  Pamunkey  or  the  James,  and  break  on 
the  walls  of  James  Town.  I  did  not  think  that  Nichol- 
son, forewarned  and  prepared,  could  stem  the  torrent; 
and  if  It  caught  him  unawares  the  proud  Tidewater 
would  break  like  a  rotten  reed. 

269 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

I  had  been  sent  to  scout.  Was  I  to  be  false  to  the 
word  I  had  given,  and  let  any  risk  to  myself  or  others 
deter  me  from  taking  back  the  news?  The  Indian 
army  tarried;  why,  I  did  not  know — perhaps  some  mad 
whim  of  their  soothsayers,  perhaps  the  device  of  a  wise 
general;  but  at  any  rate  they  tarried.  If  a  war  party 
could  spend  a  night  in  baiting  us  and  slaying  our  horses, 
there  could  be  no  very  instant  orders  for  the  road. 
If  this  were  so,  a  bold  man  might  yet  reach  the  Border 
line.  At  that  moment  It  seemed  to  me  a  madman's 
errand.  Even  If  I  slipped  past  the  watchers  In  the 
woods  and  the  glens,  the  land  between  would  be  strewn 
with  fragments  of  the  Cherokee  host,  and  I  had  not 
the  Indian  craft.  But  it  was  very  seriously  borne  In 
upon  me  that  'twas  my  duty  to  try.  God  might  prosper 
a  bold  stroke,  and  In  any  case  I  should  be  true  to  my 
trust. 

But  what  of  Elspeth?  The  thought  of  leaving  her 
was  pure  torment.  In  our  hideous  peril  'twas  scarcely 
to  be  endured  that  one  should  go.  I  told  myself  that  If 
I  reached  the  Border  I  could  get  help,  but  my  heart 
warned  me  that  I  lied.  My  news  would  leave  no  time 
there  for  riding  hillward  to  rescue  a  rash  adventure. 
We  were  beyond  the  pale,  and  must  face  the  conse- 
quences. That  we  all  had  known  and  reckoned  with, 
but  we  had  not  counted  that  our  risk  would  be  shared 
by  a  woman.  Ah  !  that  luckless  ride  of  Elspeth's !  But 
for  that  foolish  whim  she  would  be  safe  now  in  the 
cool  house  at  Middle  Plantation,  with  a  ship  to  take 
her  to  safety  if  the  worst  befell.  And  now  of  all  the 
King's  subjects  In  that  hour  we  were  the  most  Ill-fated, 

270 


HOW  A  FOOL  MUST  GO  HIS  OWN  ROAD 

islanded  on  a  sand  heap  with  the  tide  of  savage  war 
hourly  eating  into  our  crazy  shelter. 

Before  the  daylight  came,  as  I  stood  with  my  cheek 
to  my  musket,  I  had  come  to  a  resolution.  In  a  tangle 
of  duties  a  man  must  seize  the  solitary  clear  one,  and 
there  could  be  no  doubt  of  what  mine  was.  I  must 
try  for  the  Tidewater,  and  I  must  try  alone.  Shalah 
had  the  best  chance  to  get  through,  but  without  Shalah 
the  stockade  was  no  sort  of  refuge.  Ringan  was  wiser 
and  stronger  than  I,  but  I  thought  I  had  more  hill- 
craft,  and,  besides,  the  duty  was  mine,  not  his.  Grey 
had  no  knowledge  of  the  wilds,  and  Donaldson  and 
Bertrand  could  not  handle  the  news  as  it  should  be 
handled,  in  the  unlikely  event  of  their  getting  through 
alive.  No,  there  were  no  two  ways  of  it.  I  must  make 
the  effort,  though  in  that  leaden  hour  of  weariness  and 
cold  it  seemed  as  if  my  death-knell  were  ringing. 

Morn  showed  a  grey  world,  strewn  with  the  havoc 
of  the  storm.  The  eagles  were  already  busy  among 
the  dead  horses,  and  our  first  job  was  to  bury  the  poor 
beasts.  Just  outside  the  stockade  we  dug  as  best  we 
could  a  shallow  trench,  while  the  muskets  of  the  others 
kept  watch  over  us.  There  we  laid  also  the  body  of  the 
man  I  had  shot  In  the  night.  He  was  a  young  savage, 
naked  to  the  waist,  and  curiously  tattooed  on  the  fore- 
head with  the  device  of  what  seemed  to  be  a  rising  or 
setting  sun.  I  observed  that  Shalah  looked  closely  at 
this,  and  that  his  face  wore  an  unusual  excitement.  He 
said  something  in  his  own  tongue,  and,  when  the  trench 
was  dug,  laid  the  dead  man  in  it  so  that  his  head 
pointed  westwards. 

271 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

We  wrought  in  a  dogged  silence,  and  Elspeth's 
cheery  whistling  was  the  only  sound  in  that  sullen  morn- 
ing. It  fairly  broke  my  heart.  She  was  whistling  the 
old  tune  of  "Leezie  Lindsay,"  a  merry  lilt  with  the 
hill  wind  and  the  heather  in  it.  The  bravery  of  the 
poor  child  was  the  hardest  thing  of  all  to  bear  when  I 
knew  that  in  a  few  hours'  time  the  end  might  come. 
The  others  were  only  weary  and  dishevelled  and  ill  at 
ease,  but  on  me  seemed  to  have  fallen  the  burden  of  the 
cares  of  the  whole  earth. 

Shalah  had  disappeared  for  a  little,  and  came  back 
with  the  word  that  the  near  forests  were  empty.  So  I 
summoned  a  council,  and  talked  as  we  breakfasted. 

I  had  looked  into  the  matter  of  the  food,  and  found 
that  we  had  sufficient  for  three  days.  We  had  bou- 
canned  a  quantity  of  deer's  flesh  two  days  before,  and 
this,  with  the  fruit  of  yesterday's  trapping,  made  a  fair 
stock  in  our  larder. 

Then  I  announced  my  plan.  "I  am  going  to  try  to 
reach  Lawrence,"  I  said. 

No  one  spoke.  Shalah  lifted  his  head,  and  looked 
at  me  gravely. 

"Does  any  man  object?"  I  asked  sharply,  for  my 
temper  was  all  of  an  edge. 

"Your  throat  will  be  cut  in  the  first  mile,"  said  Don- 
aldson gruffly. 

"Maybe  it  will,  but  maybe  not.  At  any  rate,  I  can 
try.  You  have  not  heard  what  Shalah  and  I  found  in 
the  hills  yesterday.  Twelve  miles  south  there  is  a  glen 
with  a  plateau  at  Its  head,  and  that  plateau  is  as  full  of 
Indians  as  a  beehive.     Ay,  Ringan,  you  and  Lawrence 

272 


HOW  A  FOOL  MUST  GO  HIS  OWN  ROAD 

were  right.  The  Cherokee's  are  the  least  of  the  trouble. 
There's  a  great  army  come  out  of  the  West,  men  that 
you  and  I  never  saw  the  like  of  before,  and  they  are 
waiting  till  the  Cherokees  have  drawn  the  fire  of  the 
Borderers,  and  then  they  will  bring  hell  to  the  Tide- 
water. You  and  I  know  that  there's  some  sort  of  mad- 
man in  command,  a  man  that  quotes  the  Bible  and 
speaks  English;  but  madman  or  not,  he's  a  great  gen- 
eral, and  woe  betide  Virginia  if  he  gets  among  the 
manors.  I  was  sent  to  the  hills  to  get  news,  and  I've 
got  it.  Would  it  not  be  the  part  of  a  coward  to  bide 
here  and  make  no  effort  to  warn  our  friends?" 

"What  good  would  a  warning  do?"  said  Ringan. 
"Even  if  you  got  through  to  Lawrence — which  is  not 
very  likely — d'you  think  a  wheen  Borderers  in  a  fort 
will  stay  such  an  army?  It  would  only  mean  that  you 
lost  your  life  on  the  South  Fork  instead  of  in  the  hills, 
and  there's  little  comfort  in  that." 

"It's  not  like  you  to  give  such  counsel,"  I  said  sadly. 
"A  man  cannot  think  whether  his  duty  will  succeed  as 
long  as  it's  there  for  him  to  do  it.  Maybe  my  news 
would  make  all  the  differ.  Maybe  there  would  be  time 
to  get  Nicholson's  militia  to  the  point  of  danger.  God 
has  queer  ways  of  working,  if  we  trust  Him  with  honest 
hearts.  Besides,  a  word  on  the  Border  would  save  the 
Tidewater  folk,  for  there  are  ships  on  the  James  and 
the  York  to  flee  to  if  they  hear  in  time.  Let  Virginia 
go  down  and  be  delivered  over  to  painted  savages,  and 
some  day  soon  we  will  win  it  back;  but  we  cannot 
bring  life  to  the  dead.  I  want  to  save  the  lowland 
manors    from    what   befell    the    D'Aubignys    on    the 

273 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

Rapidan,  and  if  I  can  only  do  that  much  I  will  be  con- 
tent. Will  you  counsel  me,  Ringan,  to  neglect  my  plain 
duty?" 

"I  gave  no  counsel,"  said  Ringan  hurriedly.  "I  was 
only  putting  the  common  sense  of  it.  It's  for  you  to 
choose." 

Here  Grey  broke  in.  "I  protest  against  this  crazi- 
ness.  Your  first  duty  is  to  your  comrades  and  to  this 
lady.  If  you  desert  us  we  lose  our  best  musket,  and 
you  have  as  little  chance  of  reaching  the  Tidewater  as 
the  moon.  Are  you  so  madly  enamoured  of  death,  Mr. 
Garvald?"  He  spoke  in  the  old  stiff  tones  of  the  man 
I  had  quarrelled  with. 

I  turned  to  Shalah.  "Is  there  any  hope  of  getting 
to  the  South  Fork?" 

He  looked  me  very  full  in  the  face.  "As  much  hope 
as  a  dove  has  who  falls  broken-winged  into  an  eyrie  of 
falcons !  As  much  hope  as  the  deer  when  the  hunter's 
knife  is  at  its  throat!  Yet  the  dove  may  escape,  and 
the  deer  may  yet  tread  the  forest.  While  a  man  draws 
breath  there  is  hope,  brother." 

"Which  I  take  to  mean  that  the  odds  are  a  thousand 
against  one,"  said  Grey. 

"Then  it's  my  business  to  stake  all  on  the  one,"  I 
cried.  "Man,  don't  you  see  my  quandary?  I  hold  a 
solemn  trust  which  I  have  the  means  of  fulfilling,  and 
I'm  bound  to  try.  It's  torture  to  me  to  leave  you,  but 
you  will  lose  nothing.  Three  men  could  hold  this  place 
as  well  as  six,  if  the  Indians  are  not  in  earnest,  and,  if 
they  are,  a  hundred  would  be  too  few.     Your  danger 

274 


HOW  A  FOOL  MUST  GO  HIS  OWN  ROAD 

will  be  starvation,  and  I  will  be  a  mouth  less  to  feed. 
If  I  get  to  the  Border  I  will  find  help,  for  we  cannot 
stay  here  for  ever,  and  how  d'you  think  we  are  to  get 
Miss  Blair  by  ourselves  to  the  Rappahannock  with 
every  mile  littered  with  fighting  clans?  I  must  go,  or  I 
will  never  have  another  moment's  peace  in  life." 

Grey  was  not  convinced.  "Send  the  Indian,"  he 
said. 

"And  leave  the  stockade  defenceless,"  I  cried.  "It's 
because  he  stays  behind  that  I  dare  to  go.  Without 
him  we  are  all  bairns  in  the  dark." 

"That's  true,  anyway,"  said  Ringan,  and  fell  to 
whittling  a  stick. 

"For  three  days,"  I  continued,  "you  have  food 
enough,  and  if  by  the  end  of  it  you  are  not  attacked  you 
may  safely  go  hunting  for  more.  If  nothing  happens 
In  a  week's  time  you  will  know  that  I  have  failed,  and 
you  can  send  another  messenger.  Ringan  would  be 
the  best." 

"That  can  hardly  be,"  he  said,  "because  I'm  coming 
with  you  now." 

I  could  only  stare  blankly. 

"Two's  better  than  one  for  this  kind  of  business,  and 
I  am  no  use  here — only  fruges  consiimere  natus,  as  I 
learned  from  the  Inveraray  dominie.  It's  my  concern 
as  much  as  yours,  for  I  brought  you  here,  and  I'ni 
trysted  with  Lawrence  to  take  back  word.  I'm  loath 
to  leave  my  friends,  but  my  place  Is  at  your  side.  Am 
drew.     So  say  no  more  about  it." 

I  knew  It  was  Idle  to  protest.  Ringan  was  as  obsti. 
nate  as  a  Spanish  mule  when  he  chose,  and,  besides, 

275 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

there  was  reason  in  what  he  said.  Two  were  better 
than  one  both  for  speed  In  travel  and  for  fighting  if  the 
need  came,  and  though  I  had  more  woodcraft  than  him, 
he  had  ten  times  my  wisdom.  There  was  something 
about  his  matter-of-fact  tone  which  took  the  enterprise 
out  of  the  land  of  impossibilities  into  a  more  sober 
realm.     I  even  began  to  dream  of  success. 

But  when  I  looked  at  Elspeth  her  eyes  were  so  full 
of  grief  and  care  that  my  spirits  sank  again. 

"Tell  me,"  I  cried,  "that  you  think  I  am  doing  right. 
God  knows  it  is  hard  to  leave  you,  and  I  carry  the 
sorest  heart  in  Virginia.  But  you  would  not  have  me 
stay  idle  when  my  plain  duty  commands.  Say  that  you 
bid  me  go,  Elspeth." 

"I  bid  you  go,"  she  said  bravely,  "and  I  will  pray 
God  to  keep  you  safe."  But  her  eyes  belied  her  voice, 
for  they  were  swimming  with  tears.  At  that  moment 
I  got  the  conviction  that  I  was  more  to  her  than  a  mere 
companion,  that  by  some  miracle  I  had  won  a  place  in 
that  proud  and  loyal  heart.  It  seemed  a  cruel  stroke 
of  fate  that  I  should  get  this  hope  at  the  very  moment 
when  I  was  to  leave  her  and  go  into  the  shadow  of 
death. 

But  that  was  no  hour  to  think  of  love.  I  took  every 
man  apart  and  swore  him,  though  there  was  little  need, 
to  stand  by  the  girl  at  all  costs. 

To  Grey  I  opened  my  inmost  thoughts. 

"You  and  I  serve  one  mistress,"  I  said,  "and  now 
I  confide  her  to  your  care.  All  that  I  would  have  done 
I  am  assured  you  will  do.  My  heart  is  easier  when  I 
know  that  you  are  by  her  side.    Once  we  were  foes,  and 

7v76 


HOW  A  FOOL  MUST  GO  HIS  OWN  ROAD 

since  then  we  have  been  friends,  and  now  you  are  the 
dearest  friend  on  earth,  for  I  leave  you  with  all  I 
cherish." 

He  flushed  deeply  and  gave  me  his  hand. 

"Go  in  peace,  sir,"  he  said.  "If  God  wills  that  we 
perish,  my  last  act  will  be  to  assure  an  easy  passage  to 
heaven  for  her  we  worship.  If  we  meet  again,  we 
meet  as  honourable  rivals,  and  may  that  day  come 
soon." 

So  with  pistols  in  belt,  and  a  supply  of  cartouches  and 
some  little  food  in  our  pockets,  Ringan  and  I  were  en- 
folded in  the  silence  of  the  woods. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

THE  HORN  OF  DIARMAID  SOUNDS 

WE  reached  the  Gap,  and  made  slantwise  across 
the  farther  hill.  I  did  not  dare  to  go  down 
Clearwater  Glen,  and,  besides,  I  was  aiming  for  a  point 
farther  south  than  the  Rappahannock.  In  my  wander- 
ings with  Shalah  I  had  got  a  pretty  good  idea  of  the 
lie  of  the  mountains  on  their  eastern  side  and  I  had  re- 
marked a  long  ridge  which  flung  itself  like  a  cape  far 
into  the  lowlands.  If  we  could  leave  the  hills  by  this, 
I  thought  we  might  strike  the  stream  called  the  North 
Fork,  which  would  bring  us  in  time  to  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Frew's  dwelling.  The  ridges  were  our  only 
safe  path,  for  they  were  thickly  overgrown  with  woods, 
and  the  Indian  bands  were  less  likely  to  choose  them 
for  a  route.  The  danger  was  in  the  glens,  where  the 
trees  were  sparser  and  the  broad  stretches  of  meadow 
made  better  going  for  horses. 

The  movement  of  my  legs  made  me  pluck  up  heart. 
I  was  embarked  at  any  rate  in  a  venture,  and  had  got 
rid  of  my  desperate  indecision.  The  two  of  us  held 
close  together,  and  chose  the  duskiest  thickets,  crawling 
belly-wise  over  the  little  clear  patches  and  avoiding  the 
crown   of   the    ridge   like   the   plague.     The   weather 

278 


THE  HORN  OF  DIARMAID  SOUNDS 

helped  us,  for  the  skies  hung  grey  and  low,  with  wisps 
of  vapour  curling  among  the  trees.  The  glens  were 
pits  of  mist,  and  my  only  guide  was  my  recollection  of 
what  I  had  seen,  and  the  easterly  course  of  the  streams. 

By  midday  we  had  mounted  to  the  crest  of  a  long 
scarp  which  fell  away  in  a  narrow  and  broken  promon- 
tory towards  the  plains.  So  far  we  had  seen  nothing 
to  give  us  pause,  and  the  only  risk  lay  in  some  Indian 
finding  and  following  our  trail.  We  lay  close  in  a 
scrubby  wood,  and  rested  for  a  little,  while  we  ate  some 
food.  Everything  around  us  dripped  with  moisture, 
and  I  could  have  wrung  pints  from  my  coat  and 
breeches. 

"Oh  for  the  Dry  Tortugas !"  Ringan  sighed.  "What 
I  would  give  for  a  hot  sun  and  the  kindly  winds  o'  the 
sea !  I  thought  I  pined  for  the  hills,  Andrew,  but  I 
would  not  give  a  clean  beach  and  a  warm  sou'-wester 
for  all  the  mountains  on  earth." 

Then  again:  "Yon's  a  fine  lass,"  he  would  say. 

I  did  not  reply,  for  I  had  no  heart  to  speak  of  what 
I  had  left  behind. 

"Cheer  up,  young  one,"  he  cried.  "There  was  more 
lost  at  Flodden.  A  gentleman-adventurer  must  live  by 
the  hour,  and  it's  surprising  how  Fortune  favours  them 
that  trust  her.  There  was  a  man  I  mind,  in  Breadal- 
bane.  .  .  ."  And  here  he  would  tell  some  tale  of  how 
light  came  out  of  black  darkness  for  the  trusting  heart. 

"Man,  Ringan,"  I  said,  "I  see  your  kindly  purpose. 
But  tell  me,  did  ever  you  hear  of  such  a  tangle  as  ours 
being  straightened  out?" 

"Why,  yes,"  he  said,     "Fve  been  in  worse  myself, 

279 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

and  here  I  am.  I  have  been  in  a  cell  at  Cartagena, 
chained  to  a  man  that  had  died  of  the  plague,  with  the 
gallows  preparing  for  me  at  cock-crow.  But  in  the 
night  some  friends  o'  mine  came  into  the  bay,  and  I 
had  the  solemn  joy  of  stepping  out  of  yon  cell  over  the 
corp  of  the  Almirante.  I've  been  mad  with  fever, 
and  jumped  into  the  Palmas  River  among  the  alliga- 
tors, and  not  one  of  them  touched  me,  though  I  was 
swimming  about  crying  that  the  water  was  burning  oil. 
And  then  a  lad  in  a  boat  gave  me  a  clout  on  the  head 
that  knocked  the  daftness  out  of  me,  and  in  a  week  I 
was  marching  on  my  own  deck,  with  my  bonnet  cocked 
like  a  king's  captain.  I've  been  set  by  my  unfriends  on 
a  rock  in  the  Florida  Keys,  with  a  keg  of  dirty  water 
and  a  bunch  of  figs,  and  the  sun  like  to  melt  my  brains, 
and  two  bullet  holes  in  my  thigh.  But  I  came  out  of  the 
pickle,  and  lived  to  make  the  men  that  put  me  there 
sorry  they  had  been  born.  Ay,  and  I've  seen  my  grave 
dug,  and  my  dead  clothes  ready,  and  in  a  week  I  was 
making  napkins  out  of  them.  There's  a  wonderful 
kindness  in  Providence  to  mettled  folk." 

*'Ay,  Ringan,  but  that  was  only  the  risk  of  your  own 
neck.  I  think  I  could  endure  that.  But  was  there  ever 
another  you  liked  far  better  than  yourself  that  you  had 
to  see  in  deadly  peril?" 

*'No.  I'll  be  honest  with  you,  there  never  was.  I 
grant  you  that's  the  hardest  thing  to  thole.  But  you'll 
keep  a  stiff  lip  even  to  that,  seeing  you  are  the  braver 
of  the  two  of  us." 

At  that  I  cried  out  in  expostulation,  but  Ringan  was 
firm. 

"Ay,  the  braver  by  far,  and  I'll  say  it  again.     I'm 

280 


THE  HORN  OF  DIARMAID  SOUNDS 

a  man  of  the  dancing  blood,  with  a  rare  appetite  for 
frays  and  forays.  You  are  the  sedate  soul  that  would 
be  happier  at  home  in  the  chimney  corner.  And  yet 
you  are  the  most  determined  of  the  lot  of  us,  though 
you  have  no  pleasure  in  it.  Why?  Just  because  you 
are  the  bravest.  You  can  force  yourself  to  a  job 
when  flesh  and  spirit  cry  out  against  it.  I  let  no  man 
alive  cry  down  my  courage,  but  I  say  freely  that  it's 
not  to  be  evened  with  yours." 

I  was  not  feeling  very  courageous.  As  we  sped 
along  the  ridge  in  the  afternoon  I  seemed  to  myself 
like  a  midge  lost  in  a  monstrous  net.  The  dank,  drip- 
ping trees  and  the  misty  hills  seemed  to  muffle  and 
deaden  the  world.  I  could  not  believe  that  they  ever 
would  end;  that  anywhere  there  was  a  clear  sky  and 
open  country.  And  I  had  always  the  feeling  that  in 
those  banks  of  vapour  lurked  deadly  enemies  who 
any-  moment  might  steal  out  and  encompass  us. 

But  about  four  o'clock  the  weather  lightened,  and 
from  the  cock's-comb  on  which  we  moved  we  looked 
down  into  the  lower  glens.  I  saw  that  we  had  left 
the  main  flanks  of  the  range  behind  us,  and  were  now 
fairly  on  a  cape  which  jutted  out  beyond  the  other 
ridges.  It  behooved  us  now  to  go  warily,  and  where 
the  thickets  grew  thin  we  moved  like  hunters,  in  every 
hollow  and  crack  that  could  shelter  a  man.  Ringan 
led,  and  led  well,  for  he  had  not  stalked  the  red  deer 
on  the  braes  of  Breadalbane  for  nothing.  But  no  sign 
of  life  appeared  in  the  green  hollows  on  either  hand, 
neither  in  the  meadow  spaces  nor  by  the  creeks  of  the 
growing  streams.  The  world  was  dead  silent;  not  even 
a  bird  showed  in  the  whole  firmament. 

281 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

Lower  and  lower  we  went,  till  the  end  of  the  ridge 
was  before  us,  a  slope  which  meJted  into  the  river 
plains.  A  single  shaft  of  bright  sunshine  broke  from 
the  clouds  behind  us,  and  showed  the  tumbled  country 
of  low  downs  and  shallow  vales  which  stretched  to  the 
Tidewater  border.  I  had  a  momentary  gleam  of  hope, 
as  sudden  and  transient  as  that  ray  of  light.  We 
were  almost  out  of  the  hills,  and,  that  accomplished, 
we  were  most  likely  free  of  the  Indian  forces  that 
gathered  there.  I  had  come  to  share  the  Rappahan- 
nock men's  opinion  about  the  Cherokees.  If  we  could 
escape  the  strange  tribes  from  the  west,  I  looked  for 
no  trouble  at  the  hands  of  those  common  raiders. 

The  thicket  ended  with  the  ridge,  and  there  was  a 
quarter-mile  of  broken  meadow  before  the  forest  be- 
gan. It  was  a  queer  place,  that  patch  of  green  grass 
set  like  an  arena  for  an  audience  on  the  mountain  side. 
A  fine  stream  ran  through  it,  coming  down  the  glen 
on  our  right,  and  falling  afterwards  into  a  dark,  woody 
ravine.  I  mistrusted  the  look  of  it,  for  there  was  no 
cover,  and  'twas  in  full  view  of  the  whole  flanks  of 
the  hills. 

Ringan,  too,  was  disturbed.  *'  'Twould  be  wiser 
like  to  wait  for  darkness  before  trying  that  bit,"  he 
said.  "We'll  be  terrible  kenspeckle  to  the  gentry  we 
ken  of." 

But  I  would  not  hear  of  delay.  Now  that  we  were 
all  but  out  of  the  hills  I  was  mad  to  get  forward.  I 
thought  foolishly  that  every  minute  we  delayed  there 
we  increased  our  peril,  and  I  longed  for  the  covering 
of  the  lowland  forest.    Besides,  I  thought  that  by  using 

282 


THE  HORN  OF  DIARMAID  SOUNDS 

some  of  the  crinkles  in  the  meadcfw  we  could  be  shel- 
tered from  any  eyes  on  the  slopes. 

Ringan  poked  his  head  out  of  the  covert  and  took 
a  long  gaze.  "The  place  seems  empty  enough,  but  I 
cannot  like  it.  Have  you  your  pistols  handy,  An- 
drew? I  see  what  looks  like  an  Indian  track,  and  if 
we  were  to  meet  a  brave  or  two,  it  would  be  a  pity 
to  let  them  betray  us." 

I  looked  at  my  pistols  to  see  if  the  damp  woods  had 
spoiled  the  priming. 

"Well,  here's  for  fortune,"  said  Ringan,  and  we 
scrambled  off  the  ridge  and  plunged  into  the  lush 
grasses  of  the  meadow. 

Had  we  kept  our  heads  and  crossed  as  prudently 
as  we  had  made  the  morning's  journey,  all  might  have 
been  well.  But  a  madcap  haste  seemed  to  possess  us. 
We  tore  through  the  herbage  as  if  we  had  been  running 
a  race  In  the  yard  of  a  peaceful  manor.  The  stream 
stayed  us  a  little,  for  It  could  not  be  forded  without 
a  wetting,  and  I  went  in  up  to  the  waist.  As  we 
scrambled  up  the  far  bank  some  Impulse  made  me  turn 
my  head. 

There,  coming  down  the  water,  was  a  band  of  In- 
dians. 

They  were  still  some  distance  off,  but  they  saw  us, 
and  put  their  horses  to  the  gallop.  I  cried  to  Ringan 
to  run  for  the  shelter  of  the  woods,  for  In  the  open 
we  were  at  their  mercy.  He  cast  one  glance  over  his 
shoulder,  and  set  a  pace  which  came  near  to  founder- 
ing me. 

We  got  what  we  wanted  earlier  than  we  had  hoped. 

283 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

The  woods  in  front  rose  in  a  high  bluff,  and  down  a 
little  ravine  a  burn  trickled.  The  sides  were  too  steep 
and  matted  for  horses  to  travel,  and  he  who  stood  in 
the  ravine  had  his  back  and  flanks  defended. 

"Now  for  a  fight,  Andrew  lad!"  cried  Ringaa,  his 
eyes  dancing.  "Stick  you  to  the  pistols,  and  I'll  show 
them  something  in  the  way  of  sword-play." 

The  Indians  wheeled  up  to  the  edge  of  the  ravine, 
and  I  saw  to  my  joy  that  they  did  not  carry  bows. 
One  had  a  musket,  but  it  looked  as  if  he  had  no  powder 
left,  for  it  swung  idly  on  his  back.  They  had  toma- 
hawks at  their  belts  and  long  shining  knives  with  deer- 
horn  handles.  I  only  got  a  glimpse  of  them,  but  'twas 
enough  to  show  me  they  were  of  that  Western  nation 
that  I  dreaded. 

They  were  gone  in  an  instant. 

"That  looks  bad  for  us,  Andrew,"  Ringan  said. 
"If  they  had  come  down  on  us  yelling  for  our  scalps, 
we  would  have  had  a  merry  meeting.  But  they've 
either  gone  to  bring  their  friends  or  they're  trying  to 
take  us  in  the  back.  I'll  guard  the  front,  and  you  keep 
your  eyes  on  the  hinder  parts,  though  a  jackdaw  could 
scarcely  win  over  these  craigs." 

A  sudden  burst  of  sun  came  out,  while  Ringan  and 
I  waited  uneasily.  The  great  blue  roll  of  mountain 
we  had  left  was  lit  below  the  mist  with  a  glory 
of  emerald  and  gold.  Ringan  was  whistling  softly 
through  his  teeth,  while  I  scanned  the  half  moon  of 
rock  and  matted  vines  which  made  our  shelter.  There 
was  no  sound  in  the  air  but  the  tap  of  a  woodpecker 
and  the  trickling  of  the  little  runlets  from  the  wet 
sides. 

284 


THE  HORN  OF  DIARMAID  SOUNDS 

The  mind  in  a  close  watch  falls  under  a  spell,  so 
that  while  the  senses  are  alert,  the  thoughts  are  apt 
to  wander.  As  I  have  said  before,  I  have  the  sharpest 
sight,  and  as  I  watched  a  point  of  rock  it  seemed  to 
move  ever  so  slightly.  I  rubbed  my  eyes  and  thought 
it  fancy,  and  a  sudden  noise  above  made  me  turn 
my  head.  It  was  only  a  bird,  and  as  I  looked  again  at 
the  rock  it  seemed  as  if  a  spray  of  vine  had  blown 
athwart  it  which  was  not  there  before.  I  gazed  in- 
tently, and,  following  the  spray  Into  the  shadow,  I 
saw  something  liquid  and  mottled  like  a  toad's  skin. 
As  I  stared  it  flickered  and  shimmered.  'Twas  only 
the  light  on  a  wet  leaf,  I  told  myself;  but  surely  it 
had  not  been  there  before.  A  sudden  suspicion  seized 
me,  and  I  lifted  my  pistol  and  fired. 

There  was  a  shudder  in  the  thicket,  and  an  Indian, 
shot  through  the  head,  rolled  into  the  burn. 

At  the  sound  I  heard  RIngan  cry  out,  and  there 
came  a  great  war-whoop  from  the  mouth  of  the  ravine. 
I  gave  one  look,  and  then  turned  to  my  own  business, 
for  as  the  dead  man  fell  another  leaped  from  the 
matted  cliffs. 

My  second  pistol  missed  fire.  In  crossing  the  stream 
1  must  have  damped  the  priming. 

What  happened  next  Is  all  confusion  In  my  mind. 
I  dodged  the  fall  of  the  knife,  and  struck  hard  with 
my  pistol  butt  at  the  uplifted  arm.  I  felt  no  fear,  only 
intense  anger  at  my  folly  In  not  having  looked  better 
to»my  priming.  But  the  shock  of  the  man's  charge 
upset  me,  and  the  next  I  knew  of  it  we  were  wrestling 
on  the  ground. 

I  had  his  right  arm  by  the  wrist,  but  I  was  no  match 

285 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

for  him  in  suppleness,  and  in  the  position  in  which  we 
lay  I  could  not  use  the  weight  of  my  shoulders.  The 
most  I  could  do  was  to  keep  him  from  striking,  and 
to  effect  that  my  strength  was  stretched  to  its  utter- 
most. My  eyes  filmed  with  weariness,  and  my  breath 
came  in  gasps,  for,  remember,  I  had  been  up  all  night, 
and  that  day  had  already  travelled  many  miles.  I 
remember  yet  the  sickly  smell  of  his  greasy  skin  and 
the  red  hate  of  his  eyes.  As  we  struggled  I  could 
see  Ringan  holding  the  mouth  of  the  ravine  with  his 
sword.  One  of  his  foes  he  had  shot,  and  the  best 
blade  in  the  Five  Seas  was  now  engaged  with  three 
Indian  knives.  I  heard  his  happy  whistling,  and  a 
grunt  now  and  then  from  a  wounded  foe.  He  had 
enough  to  do,  and  could  give  me  no  aid.  And  as  I 
realized  this  I  felt  the  grip  of  my  arms  growing  slacker, 
and  knew  that  in  a  second  or  two  I  should  feel  that 
long  Indian  steel. 

I  made  a  desperate  effort,  and  swung  round  so  that 
I  got  my  left  shoulder  on  his  knife  arm.  That  brought 
my  right  shoulder  close  to  his  mouth,  and  he  bit  me 
to  the  bone.  The  wound  did  me  good,  for  it  mad- 
dened me,  and  I  got  a  knee  loose,  and  forced  it  into 
his  loins.  For  a  moment  I  dreamed  of  victory,  but  I 
had  not  counted  on  the  wiles  of  a  savage.  He  lay 
quite  limp  for  a  second,  and,  as  I  relaxed  my  effort  a 
little,  seized  the  occasion  to  slip  from  beneath  me  and 
let  me  roll  into  the  burn.  The  next  instant  he  was 
above  me,  and  I  saw  the  knife  against  the  sky. 

I  thought  that  all  was  over.  He  pushed  back  his 
hair  from  his  eyes,  and  the  steel  quivered.     And  then 

286 


THE  HORN  OF  DIARAIAID  SOUNDS 

something  thrust  between  me  and  the  point,  there  was 
a  leap  and  a  shudder,  and  I  was  gazing  at  emptiness. 

I  lay  gazing,  for  I  seemed  bereft  of  wits.  Then 
a  voice  cried,  "Are  you  hurt,  Andrew?"  and  I  got  to 
my  feet. 

My  enemy  lay  in  the  pool  of  the  burn,  with  a  hole 
through  his  throat  from  Ringan's  sword.  A  little 
farther  off  lay  the  savage  I  had  shot.  At  the  mouth 
of  the  ravine  lay  three  dead  Indians.  The  last  of  the 
six  must  have  fled. 

Ringan  had  sheathed  his  blade,  and  was  looking  at 
me  with  a  queer  smile  on  his  face. 

"Yon  was  a  merry  bout,  Andrew,"  he  said,  and  his 
voice  sounded  very  far  away.  Then  he  swayed  into 
my  arms,  and  I  saw  that  his  vest  was  darlc  with  blood. 

"What  is  it?"  I  cried  in  wild  fear.  "Are  you  hurt, 
Ringan?"  I  laid  him  on  a  bed  of  moss,  and  opened 
his  shirt.  In  his  breast  was  a  gaping  wound  from 
which  the  bright  blood  was  welling. 

He  lay  with  his  eyes  closed  while  I  strove  to  stanch 
the  flow.  Then  he  choked,  and  as  I  raised  his  head 
there  came  a  gush  of  blood  from  his  lips. 

"That  man  of  yours.  .  .  . "  he  whispered.  "I  got 
his  knife  before  he  got  my  sword.  ...  I  doubt  it 
went  deep.   ..." 

"O  Ringan,"  I  cried,  "it's  me  that's  to  blame.  You 
got  it  trying  to  save  me.  You're  not  going  to  leave 
me,  Ringan?" 

He  was  easier  now,  and  the  first  torrent  of  blood 
had  subsided.  But  his  breath  laboured,  and  there 
was  pain  in  his  eyes. 

287 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

"I've  got  my  call,"  he  said  faintly.  "Who  would 
have  thought  that  Ninian  Campbell  would  meet  his 
death  from  an  Indian  shabble?  They'll  no  believe  it 
at  Tortuga.     Still  and  on  ... " 

I  brought  him  water  in  my  hat,  and  for  a  moment 
he  breathed  freely.  He  motioned  me  to  put  my  ear 
close. 

"You'll  send  word  to  the  folk  in  Breadalbane.  .  .  . 
Just  say  that  I  came  by  an  honest  end.  .  .  .  Cheer  up, 
lad.  You'll  live  to  see  happy  days  yet.  .  .  .  But 
keep  mind  of  me,  Andrew.  .  .  .  Man,  I  liked  you 
well,  and  would  have  been  blithe  to  keep  you  company 
a  bit  longer.  ..." 

I  was  crying  like  a  child.  There  was  a  little  gold 
charm  on  a  cord  round  his  neck,  now  dyed  with  his 
blood.     He  motioned  me  to  look  at  it. 

"Give  it  to  the  lass,"  he  whispered.  "I  had  once 
a  lass  like  yon,  and  I  aye  wore  it  for  her  sake.  I've 
had  a  roving  life,  with  many  ill  deeds  in  it,  but  doubt- 
less the  Almighty  will  make  allowances.  Can  you  say 
a  bit  prayer,  Andrew?" 

As  well  as  I  could,  I  repeated  that  Psalm  I  had 
said  over  the  graves  by  the  Rapidan.  He  looked  at 
me  with  eyes  as  clear  and  honest  as  a  child's. 

"  'In  death's  dark  vale  I  will  fear  no  ill,'  "  he  re- 
peated after  me.  "That  minds  me  of  lang  syne.  I 
never    feared   muckle    on    earth,    and    I'll   not   begin 


now." 


I  saw  that  the  end  was  very  near.  The  pain  had 
gone,  and  there  was  a  queer  innocence  in  his  lean  face. 
His  eyes  shut  and  opened  again,  and  each  time  the  light 
was   dimmer. 

288 


THE  HORN  OF  DIARMAID  SOUNDS 

Suddenly  he  lifted  himself.  "The  Horn  of  Dlar- 
maid  has  sounded,"  he  cried,  and  dropped  back  in  my 
arms. 

That  was  the  last  word  he  spoke. 

I  watched  by  him  till  the  dark  fell,  and  long  after. 
Then  as  the  moon  rose  I  bestirred  myself,  and  looked 
for  a  place  of  burial.  I  would  not  have  him  lie  in  that 
narrow  ravine,  so  I  carried  him  into  the  meadow,  and 
found  a  hole  which  some  wild  beast  had  deserted. 
Painfully  and  slowly  with  my  knife  I  made  it  into  a 
shallow  grave,  where  I  laid  him,  with  some  boulders 
above.  Then  I  think  I  flung  myself  on  the  earth 
and  wept  my  fill.  I  had  lost  my  best  of  friends,  and 
the  ache  of  regret  and  loneliness  was  too  bitter  to  bear. 
I  asked  for  nothing  better  than  to  join  him  soon  on  the 
other  side. 

After  a  while  I  forced  myself  to  rise.  He  had 
praised  my  courage  that  very  day,  and  if  I  was  to  be 
true  to  him  I  must  be  true  to  my  trust.  I  told  myself 
that  Ringan  would  never  have  countenanced  this  idle 
grief.  I  girt  on  his  sword,  and  hung  the  gold  charm 
round  my  neck.  Then  I  took  my  bearings  as  well  as 
I  could,  re-loaded  my  pistols,  and  marched  into  the 
woods,  keeping  to  the  course  of  the  little  river. 

As  I  went  I  remember  that  always  a  little  ahead  I 
seemed  to  hear  the  merry  lilt  of  Ringan's  whistling. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

I    SUFFER    THE    HEATHEN's    RAGE 

AS  I  Stumbled  through  the  moonlit  forest  I  heard 
Ringan's  tunes  ever  crooning  among  the  trees. 
First  it  was  the  old  mad  march  of  "Bundle  and  go," 
which  the  pipers  play  when  the  clans  are  rising.  Then 
it  changed  to  the  lilt  of  "Colin's  Cattle,"  which  is  an 
air  that  the  fairies  made,  and  sung  in  the  ear  of  a 
shepherd  who  fell  asleep  in  one  of  their  holy  places. 
And  then  it  lost  all  mortal  form,  and  became  a  thing 
as  faint  as  the  wind  in  the  tree-tops  or  the  humming 
of  bees  in  clover.  My  weary  legs  stepped  out  to  this 
wizard  music,  and  the  spell  of  it  lulled  my  fevered 
thoughts  into  the  dull  patience  of  the  desperate. 

At  an  open  space  where  I  could  see  the  sky  I  tried 
to  take  further  bearings.  I  must  move  south-east  by 
east,  and  in  time  I  must  come  to  Lawrence.  I  do  not 
think  I  had  any  hope  of  getting  there,  for  I  knew  that 
long  ere  this  the  man  who  escaped  must  have  returned 
with  others,  and  that  now  they  would  be  hot  on  my 
trail.  What  could  one  lad  do  in  a  wide  woodland 
against  the  cunningest  trackers  on  earth?  But  Ringan 
had  praised  my  courage,  and  I  could  not  fail  him.     I 

290 


I  SUFFER  THE  HEATHEN'S  RAGE 

should  go  on  till  I  died,  and  I  did  not  think  that  would 
be  very  long.  My  pistols,  re-loaded,  pressed  against 
my  side,  and  Ringan's  sword  swung  by  my  thigh.  I 
was  determined  to  make  a  good  ending,  since  that  was 
all  now  left  to  me.  In  that  hour  I  had  forgotten  about 
everything — about  the  peril  of  Virginia,  even  about 
Elspeth  and  the  others  in  the  fort  on  the  hill-top. 
There  comes  a  time  to  every  one  when  the  world  nar- 
rows for  him  to  a  strait  alley,  with  Death  at  the  end 
of  it,  and  all  his  thoughts  are  fixed  on  that  waiting 
enemy  of  mankind. 

My  senses  were  blunted,  and  I  took  no  note  of  the 
noises  of  the  forest.  As  I  passed  down  a  ravine  a 
stone  dropped  behind  me,  but  I  did  not  pause  to 
wonder  why.  A  twig  crackled  on  my  left,  but  it  did 
not  disquiet  me,  and  there  was  a  rustling  in  the  thicket 
which  was  not  the  breeze.  I  marked  nothing,  as  I 
plodded  on  with  vacant  mind  and  eye.  So  when  I 
tripped  on  a  vine  and  fell,  I  was  scarcely  surprised 
when  I  found  I  could  not  rise.  Men  had  sprung  up 
silently  around  me,  and  I  was  pinned  by  many  hands. 

They  trussed  me  with  ropes,  binding  my  hands 
cruelly  behind  my  back,  and  swathing  my  legs  till  not 
a  muscle  could  move.  My  pistols  hung  idle,  and  the 
ropes  drove  the  hafts  Into  my  flesh.  This  is  the  end, 
thought  I,  and  I  did  not  even  grieve  at  my  impotence. 
My  courage  now  was  of  the  passive  kind,  not  to  act 
but  to  endure.  Always  I  kept  telling  myself  that  I 
must  be  brave,  for  Ringan  had  praised  my  courage, 
and  I  had  a  conviction  that  nothing  that  man  could  do 
would  shake  me.     Thanks  be  to  God,  my  quick  fancy 

291 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

was  dulled,  and  I  did  not  try  to  look  into  the  future. 
I  lived  for  the  moment,  and  I  was  resolved  that  the 
moment  should  find  me  unmoved. 

They  carried  me  to  where  their  horses  were  tied  up 
in  a  glade,  and  presently  we  were  galloping  towards 
the  hills,  myself  an  inert  bundle  strapped  across  an 
Indian  saddle.  The  pain  of  the  motion  was  great, 
but  I  had  a  kind  of  grim  comfort  in  bearing  it.  After 
a  time  I  think  my  senses  left  me,  and  I  slipped  into  a 
stupor,  from  which  I  woke  with  a  fiery  ache  at  every 
joint  and  eyes  distended  with  a  blinding  heat.  Some 
one  tossed  me  on  the  ground,  where  I  lay  with  my 
cheek  in  a  cool,  wet  patch  of  earth.  Then  I  felt  my 
bonds  being  unloosed,  and  a  strong  arm  pulled  me 
to  my  feet.  When  it  let  go  I  dropped  again,  and  not 
till  many  hands  had  raised  me  and  set  me  on  a  log  could 
I  look  round  at  my  whereabouts. 

I  was  in  a  crook  of  a  hill  glen^  lit  with  a  great  radi- 
ance of  moonlight.  Fires  dotted  the  flat,  and  Indian 
tents,  and  there  seemed  to  me  hundreds  of  savages 
crowding  in  on  me.  I  do  not  suppose  that  I  showed 
any  fear,  for  my  bodily  weakness  had  made  me  as 
impassive  as  any  Indian. 

Presently  a  voice  spoke  to  me,  but  I  could  not  under- 
stand the  words.  I  shook  my  head  feebly,  and  another 
spoke.  This  time  I  knew  that  the  tongue  was  Chero- 
kee, a  speech  I  could  recognize  but  could  not  follow. 
Again  I  shook  my  head,  and  a  third  took  up  the 
parable.  This  one  spoke  the  Powhatan  language, 
which  I  knew,  and  I  replied  in  the  same  tongue. 

There  was  a  tall  man  wearing  in  his  hair  a  single 

292 


I  SUFFER  THE  HEATHEN'S  RAGE 

great  feather,  whom  I  took  to  be  the  chief.  He  spoke 
to  me  through  the  interpreter,  and  asked  me  whence  I 
came. 

I  told  him  I  was  a  hunter  who  had  strayed  In  the 
hills.     He  asked  where  the  other  was. 

"He  is  dead,"  I  said,  "dead  of  your  knives.  But 
five  of  your  braves  atoned  for  him." 

"You  speak  truth/'  he  said  gravely.  "But  the 
Children  of  the  West  Winds  do  not  suffer  the  death  of 
their  sons  to  go  unrewarded.  For  each  one  of  the 
live,  three  Palefaces  shall  eat  the  dust  in  the  day  of 
our  triumph." 

"Be  it  so,"  said  I  stoutly,  though  I  felt  a  dreadful 
nausea  coming  over  me.  I  was  determined  to  keep 
my  head  high,  if  only  my  frail  body  would  not  fail 
me. 

"The  Sons  of  the  West  Wind,"  he  spoke  again, 
"have  need  of  warriors.  You  can  atone  for  the 
slaughter  you  have  caused,  and  the  blood  feud  will  be 
forgotten.  In  the  space  of  five  suns  we  shall  sweep 
the  Palefaces  into  the  sea,  and  rule  all  the  land  to 
the  Eastern  waters.  My  brother  is  a  man  of  his  hands, 
and  valour  is  dear  to  the  heart  of  Onotawah.  If  he 
casts  in  his  lot  with  the  Children  of  the  West  Wind 
a  wigwam  shall  be  his,  and  a  daughter  of  our  race  to 
wife,  and  six  of  our  young  men  shall  follow  his  com- 
mands. Will  my  brother  march  with  us  against  those 
whom  God  has  delivered  to  us  for  our  prey?" 

"Does  the  eagle  make  terms  with  the  kltd?"  I 
asked,  "and  fly  with  them  to  raid  his  own  eyrie?  Yes, 
I  will  join  with  you,  and  march  with  you  till  I  have 

293 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

delivered  you  to,  perhaps,  a  score  of  the  warriors  of 
my  own  people.  Then  I  will  aid  them  in  making  car- 
rion of  you," 

Heaven  knows  what  wrought  on  me  to  speak  like 
this,  I,  a  poor,  broken  fellow,  face  to  face  with  a  hun- 
dred men-at-arms.  I  think  my  mind  had  forsaken 
me  altogether,  and  I  spoke  like  a  drunken  man  with 
a  tongue  not  my  own.  I  had  only  the  one  idea  in 
my  foolish  head — to  be  true  to  Ringan,  and  to  meet 
the  death  of  which  I  was  assured  with  an  unflinching 
face.  Yet  perhaps  my  very  madness  was  the  course  of 
discretion.  You  cannot  move  an  Indian  by  pity,  and  he 
will  show  mercy  only  to  one  who,  like  a  gamecock,  asks 
nothing  less. 

The  chief  heard  me  gravely,  and  spoke  to  the 
others.  One  cried  out  something  in  a  savage  voice, 
and  for  a  moment  a  fierce  argument  was  raised,  which 
the  chief  settled  with  uplifted  hand. 

"My  brother  speaks  bold  words,"  he  said.  "The 
spirits  of  his  fathers  cry  out  for  the  companionship 
of  such  a  hero.  When  the  wrongs  of  our  race  have 
been  avenged,  I  wish  him  good  hunting  in  the  Kingdom 
of  the  Sunset." 

They  took  me  and  stripped  me  mother  naked.  Has 
any  man  who  reads  this  tale  ever  faced  an  enemy  in 
his  bare  feet?  If  so,  he  will  know  that  the  heart  of 
man  is  more  in  his  boots  than  philosophers  wot  of. 
Without  them  he  feels  lost  and  unprepared,  and  the 
edge  gone  from  his  spirit.  But  without  his  clothes  he 
is  in  a  far  worse  case.  The  winds  of  heaven  play 
round  his  nakedness;  every  thorn  and  twig  Is  his  as- 

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I  SUFFER  THE  HEATHEN'S  RAGE 

sailant,  and  the  whole  of  him  seems  a  mark  for  the 
arrows  of  his  foes.  That  stripping  was  the  things  that 
brought  me  to  my  senses.  I  recognized  that  I  was  to 
be  the  subject  of  those  hellish  tortures  which  the  In- 
dians use,  the  tales  of  which  are  on  every  Borderer's 
lips. 

And  yet  I  did  not  recognize  it  fully,  or  my  courage 
must  have  left  me  then  and  there.  My  imagination 
was  still  limping,  and  I  foresaw  only  a  death  of  pain, 
not  the  horrid  incidents  of  its  preparation.  Death  I 
could  face,  and  I  summoned  up  every  shred  of  my 
courage.  Ringan's  voice  was  still  in  my  ear,  his  airy 
songs  still  sang  themselves  in  my  brain.  I  would  not 
shame  him,  but  oh !  how  I  envied  him  lying,  all  troubles 
past,  in  his  quiet  grave! 

The  night  was  mild,  and  the  yellow  radiance  of  the 
moon  seemed  almost  warmth-giving.  I  sat  on  that 
log  In  a  sort  of  stupor,  watching  my  enemies  prepar- 
ing my  entertainment.  One  thing  I  noted,  that  there 
were  no  women  in  the  camp.  I  remembered  that 
I  had  heard  that  the  most  devilish  tortures  were  those 
which  the  squaws  devised,  and  that  the  Indian  men 
were  apt  to  be  quicker  and  more  merciful  in  their 
murderings. 

Then  I  was  lifted  up  and  carried  to  a  flat  space 
beside  the  stream,  where  the  trunk  of  a  young  pine  had 
been  set  upright  in  the  ground.  A  man,  waving  a  knife, 
and  singing  a  wild  song,  danced  towards  me.  He 
seized  me  by  the  hair,  and  I  actually  rejoiced,  for  I 
knew  that  the  pain  of  scalping  would  make  me  oblivi- 
ous of  all  else.     But  he  only  drew  the  sharp  point  of 

295 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

the  knife  In  a  circle  round  my  head,  scarce  breaking 
the  skin. 

I  had  grace  given  me  to  keep  a  stout  face,  mainly 
because  I  was  relieved  that  this  was  to  be  my  fate.  He 
put  the  knife  back  In  his  girdle,  and  others  laid  hold 
on  me. 

They  smeared  my  lower  limbs  with  some  kind  of 
grease  which  smelt  of  resin.  One  savage  who  had 
picked  up  a  brand  from  one  of  the  little  fires  dropped 
some  of  the  stuff  on  it,  and  It  crackled  merrily.  He 
grinned  at  me — a  slow,  diabolical  grin. 

They  lashed  me  to  the  stake  with  ropes  of  green 
vine.  Then  they  piled  dry  hay  a  foot  deep  around  me, 
and  laid  above  it  wood  and  green  branches.  To  make 
the  fuel  still  greener,  they  poured  water  on  It.  At  the 
moment  I  did  not  see  the  object  of  these  preparations, 
but  now  I  can  understand  It.  The  dry  hay  would  serve 
to  burn  my  legs,  which  had  already  been  anointed  with 
the  Inflammable  grease.  So  I  should  suffer  a  gradual 
torture,  for  it  would  be  long  ere  the  flames  reached  a 
vital  part.  I  think  they  erred,  for  they  assumed  that 
I  had  the  body  of  an  Indian,  which  does  not  perish  till 
a  blow  is  struck  at  its  heart;  whereas  I  am  confident 
that  any  white  man  would  be  dead  of  the  anguish  long 
ere  the  fire  had  passed  beyond  his  knees. 

I  think  that  was  the  most  awful  moment  of  my  life. 
Indeed  I  could  not  have  endured  It  had  not  my  mind 
been  drugged  and  my  body  stupid  with  fatigue.  Men 
have  often  asked  me  what  were  my  thoughts  in  that 
hour,  while  the  faggots  were  laid  about  my  feet.  I 
cannot  tell,  for  I  have  no  very  clear  memory.     The 

296 


I  SUFFER  THE  HEATHEN'S  RAGE 

Power  which  does  not  break  the  bruised  reed  tempered 
the  storm  to  my  frailty.  I  could  not  envisage  the  future, 
and  so  was  mercifully  enabled  to  look  only  to  the 
moment.  I  knew  that  pain  was  coming;  but  I  was  al- 
ready in  pain,  and  the  sick  man  does  not  trouble  him- 
self about  degrees  of  suffering.  Death,  too,  was 
coming;  but  for  that  I  had  been  long  ready.  The 
hardest  thing  that  man  can  do  is  to  endure,  but  this 
was  to  me  no  passive  endurance;  it  was  an  active 
struggle  to  show  a  fortitude  worthy  of  the  gallant 
dead. 

So  I  must  suppose  that  I  hung  there  In  my  bonds 
with  a  motionless  face  and  a  mouth  which  gave  out 
no  cry.  They  brought  the  faggots,  and  poured  on 
water,  and  I  did  not  look  their  way.  Some  score  of 
braves  begin  a  war  dance,  circling  round  me,  waving 
their  tomahawks,  and  singing  their  wild  chants.  For 
me  they  did  not  break  the  moonlit  silence.  I  was 
hearing  other  sounds  and  seeing  far  other  sights.  An 
old  sad  song  of  Ringan's  was  in  my  ears,  something 
about  an  exile  who  cried  out  in  France  for  the  red 
heather  and  the  salt  winds  of  the  Isles. 

"Nevermore  the  deep  fern,"  it  ran,  "or  the  bell  of 
the  dun  deer,  for  my  castle  is  wind-blown  sands,  and 
my  homelands  are  a  stranger's."  And  the  air  brought 
back  in  a  flash  my  own  little  house  on  the  grey  hill- 
sides of  Douglasdale,  the  cluck  of  hens  about  the 
doors  on  a  hot  summer  morn,  the  crying  of  plovers 
In  the  windy  Aprils,  the  smell  of  peat-smoke  when 
the  snow  drifted  over  Cairntable.  Home-sickness  has 
never  been  my  failing,  but  all  at  once  I  had  a  vision 

297 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

of  my  own  land,  the  cradle  of  my  race,  well-beloved 
and  unforgotten  over  the  leagues  of  sea.  Somehow 
the  thought  strengthened  me.  I  had  now  something 
besides  the  thought  of  Ringan  to  keep  my  heart  firm. 
If  all  hell  laid  hold  on  me,  I  must  stand  fast  for  the 
honour  of  my  own  folk. 

The  edge  of  the  pile  was  lit,  and  the  flames  crackled 
through  the  hay  below  the  faggots.  The  smoke  rose 
in  clouds,  and  made  me  sneeze.  Suddenly  there  came 
a  desperate  tickling  in  my  scalp  where  the  knife  had 
pricked.  Little  things  began  to  tease  me,  notably  the 
ache  of  my  swollen  wrists,  and  the  Intolerable  cramp 
in  my  legs. 

Then  came  a  sharp  burst  of  pain  as  a  tongue  of 
flame  licked  on  my  anointed  ankles.  Anguish  like  hell- 
fire  ran  through  my  frame.  I  think  I  would  have  cried 
out  if  my  tongue  had  had  the  power.  Suddenly  I 
envisaged  the  dreadful  death  which  was  coming.  All 
was  wiped  from  my  mind,  all  thought  of  Ringan,  and 
home,  and  honour;  everything  but  this  awful  fear. 
Happily  the  smoke  hid  my  face,  which  must  have  been 
distraught  with  panic.  The  seconds  seemed  endless. 
I  prayed  that  unconsciousness  would  come.  I  prayed 
for  death,  I  prayed  for  respite.  I  was  mad  with  the 
furious  madness  of  a  tortured  animal,  and  the  im- 
mortal soul  had  fled  from  me  and  left  only  a  husk  of 
pitiful  and  shrinking  flesh. 

Suddenly  there  came  a  lull.  A  dozen  buckets  of 
water  were  flung  on  the  pile,  and  the  flames  fell  to 
smouldering  ashes.  The  smoke  thinned,  and  I  saw  the 
circle  of  my  tormentors. 

298 


I  SUFFER  THE  HEATHEN'S  RAGE 

The  chief  spoke,  and  asked  me  if  my  purpose  still 
held. 

With  the  cool  shock  of  the  water  one  moment  of 
bodily  comfort  returned  to  me,  and  with  it  a  faint 
revival  of  my  spirit.  But  it  was  of  no  set  intention  that 
I  answered  as  I  did.  My  bones  were  molten  with 
fright,  and  I  had  not  one  ounce  of  bravery  in  me. 
Something  not  myself  took  hold  on  me,  and  spoke  for 
me.  Ringan's  tunes,  a  brisk  one  this  time,  lilted  in 
my  ear. 

I  could  not  believe  my  own  voice.  But  I  rejoice  to 
say  that  my  reply  was  to  consign  every  Indian  in  Amer- 
ica to  the  devil. 

I  shook  wuth  fear  when  I  had  spoken.  I  looked  to 
see  them  bring  dry  fuel  and  light  the  pile  again.  But 
I  had  played  a  wiser  part  than  I  knew.  The  chief  gave 
an  order,  the  faggots  were  cleared,  my  bonds  were 
cut,  and  I  was  led  away  from  the  stake. 

The  pain  of  my  cramped  and  scorched  limbs  was 
horrible,  but  I  had  just  enough  sense  left  to  shut  my 
teeth  and  make  no  sound. 

The  chief  looked  at  me  long  and  calmly  as  I 
drooped  before  him,  for  there  was  no  power  in  my 
legs.  He  was  an  eagle-faced  savage,  with  the  most 
grave  and  searching  eyes. 

"Sleep,  brother,"  he  said.  "At  dawn  we  will  take 
further  counsel." 

I  forced  some  kind  of  lightness  into  my  voice. 
"Sleep  will  be  grateful,"  I  said,  "for  I  have  come 
many  miles  this  day,  and  the  welcome  I  have  got  this 
evening  has  been  too  warm  for  a  weary  man," 

299 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

The  Indian  nodded.  The  jest  was  after  his  own 
taste. 

I  was  carried  to  a  teepee  and  shown  a  couch  of  dry 
fern.  A  young  man  rubbed  some  oil  on  my  scorched 
legs,  which  relieved  the  pain  of  them.  But  no  pain 
on  earth  could  have  kept  me  awake.  I  did  not  glide 
but  pitched  headforemost  into  sleep. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

EVENTS  ON  THE  HILL-SIDE 

MY  body  was  too  sore  to  suffer  me  to  sleep 
dreamlessly,  but  my  dreams  were  pleasant. 
I  thought  I  was  in  a  sunny  place  with  Elspeth,  and 
that  she  had  braided  a  coronet  of  wild  flowers  for 
her  hair.  They  were  simple  flowers,  such  as  I  had 
known  in  childhood  and  had  not  found  in  Virginia — 
yarrow,  and  queen  of  the  meadow,  and  bluebells,  and 
the  little  eyebright.  A  great  peace  filled  me,  and 
Ringan  came  presently  to  us  and  spoke  in  his  old 
happy  speech.  'Twas  to  the  accompaniment  of  Els- 
peth's  merry  laughter  that  I  wakened,  to  find  myself 
in  a  dark,  strange-smelling  place,  with  a  buffalo  robe 
laid  over  me,  and  no  stitch  of  clothing  on  my  frame. 
That  wakening  was  bitter  indeed.  I  opened  my 
eyes  to  another  day  of  pain  and  peril,  with  no  hope  of 
deliverance.  For  usual  I  am  one  of  those  who  rise 
with  a  glad  heart  and  a  great  zest  for  whatever  the 
light  may  bring.  Now,  as  I  moved  my  limbs,  I  found 
aches  everywhere,  and  but  little  strength  in  my  bones. 
Slowly  the  events  of  the  last  day  came  back  to  me — 
the  journey  in  the  dripping  woods,   the  fight  in  the 

301 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

ravine,  the  death  of  my  comrade,  the  long  horror  of 
the  hours  of  torture.  No  man  can  be  a  hero  at  such 
an  awakening.  I  had  not  the  courage  of  a  chicken 
In  my  soul,  and  could  have  wept  with  weakness  and 
terror. 

I  felt  my  body  over,  and  made  out  that  I  had  taken 
no  very  desperate  hurt.  My  joints  were  swollen  with 
the  bonds,  and  every  sinew  seemed  as  stiff  as  wire. 
The  skin  had  been  scorched  on  my  shins  and  feet,  and 
was  peeling  off  in  patches,  but  the  ointment  which 
had  been  rubbed  on  it  had  taken  the  worst  ache  out 
of  the  wounds.  I  tottered  to  my  feet,  and  found  that 
I  could  stand,  and  even  move  slowly  like  an  old  man. 
My  clothes  had  been  brought  back  and  laid  beside 
me,  and  with  much  difficulty  I  got  into  them;  but  I 
gave  up  the  effort  to  get  my  stockings  and  boots  over 
my  scorched  legs.  My  pistols,  too,  had  been  restored, 
and  Ringan's  sword,  and  the  gold  amulet  he  had  en- 
trusted to  me.  Somehow,  In  the  handling  of  me,  my 
store  of  cartouches  had  disappeared  from  my  pockets. 
My  pistols  were  loaded  and  ready  for  use,  but  that 
was  the  extent  of  my  defences,  for  I  was  no  more  good 
with  Ringan's  sword  than  with  an  Indian  bow. 

A  young  lad  brought  me  some  maize  porridge  and 
a  skin  of  water.  I  could  eat  little  of  the  food,  but 
I  drank  the  water  to  the  last  drop,  for  my  throat  was 
as  dry  as  the  nether  pit.  After  that  I  lay  down  on 
my  couch  again,  for  It  seemed  to  me  that  I  would 
need  to  treasure  every  atom  of  my  strength.  The 
meal  had  put  a  little  heart  in  me — heart  enough  to 
wait  dismally  on  the  next  happening. 

302 


EVENTS  ON  THE  HILL-SIDE 

Presently  the  chief  whom  they  called  Onotawah 
stood  at  the  tent  door,  and  with  him  a  man  who  spoke 
the  Powhatan  tongue. 

"Greeting,  brother,"  he  said. 

"Greeting,"  I  answered,  in  the  stoutest  tone  I  could 
muster. 

"I  come  from  the  council  of  the  young  men,  where 
the  blood  of  our  kin  cries  for  the  avenger.  The  Sons 
of  the  West  Wind  have  seen  the  courage  of  the 
stranger,  and  would  give  him  the  right  of  combat  as 
a  free  man  and  a  brave.  Is  my  brother  ready  to  meet 
our  young  men  in  battle?" 

I  was  about  as  fit  to  fight  as  an  old  horse  to  leap 
a  fence,  but  I  had  the  wit  to  see  that  my  only  hope 
lay  in  a  bold  front.  At  any  rate,  a  clean  death  in 
battle  was  better  than  burning,  and  my  despair  was 
too  deep  to  let  me  quibble  about  the  manner  of  leaving 
this  world. 

"You  see  my  condition,"  I  said.  "I  am  somewhat 
broken  with  travel  and  wounds,  but  such  as  I  am,  I 
am  willing  to  meet  your  warriors.  Send  them  one  at 
a  time  or  in  battalions,  and  I  am  ready  for  them." 

It  was  childish  brag,  but  I  think  I  must  have  de- 
livered it  with  some  spirit,  for  I  saw  approbation  in 
his  eye. 

"When  we  fight,  we  fight  not  as  butchers  but  as 
men-at-arms,"  he  said.  "The  brother  of  one  of  the 
dead  will  take  on  himself  the  cause  of  our  tribe.  If 
he  slay  you,  our  honour  is  avenged.  If  he  be  slain, 
we  save  you  alive,  and  carry  you  with  us  as  we  march 
to  the  rising  sun." 

303 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

"I  am  content,"  I  said,  though  I  was  very  little 
content.  What  earthly  chance  stood  I  against  a  lithe 
young  brave,  accustomed  from  his  childhood  to  war? 
I  thought  of  a  duel  hand-to-hand  with  knives  or  toma- 
hawks, for  I  could  not  believe  that  I  would  be  allowed 
to  keep  my  pistols.  It  was  a  very  faint-hearted  com- 
batant who  rose  and  staggered  after  Onotawah  into 
the  clear  morning.  The  cloudy  weather  had  gone, 
and  the  glen  where  we  lay  was  filled  with  sun  and 
bright  colours.  Even  in  my  misery  I  saw  the  fairness 
of  the  spectacle,  and  the  cool  plunge  of  the  stream  was 
grateful  to  my  throbbing  eyes. 

The  whole  clan  was  waiting,  a  hundred  warriors  as 
tall  and  clean-limbed  as  any  captain  could  desire.  I 
bore  no  ill-will  to  my  captors;  indeed,  I  viewed  them 
with  a  respect  I  had  never  felt  for  Indians  before. 
They  were  so  free  in  their  walk,  so  slim  and  upstand- 
ing, so  hawklike  in  eye  and  feature,  and  withal  so 
grave,  that  I  could  not  but  admire  them.  If  the  Tide- 
water was  to  perish,  'twould  be  at  the  hands  of  no 
unworthy  foes. 

A  man  stood  out  from  the  others,  a  tall  savage  with 
a  hard  face,  who  looked  at  me  with  eyes  of  hate.  I 
recognized  my  opponent,  whom  the  chief  called  by 
some  name  like  Mayoga. 

Before  us  on  the  hill-side  across  the  stream  was  a 
wood,  with  its  limits  cut  as  clear  on  the  meadow  as 
a  coppice  in  a  nobleman's  park.  'Twas  maybe  half 
a  mile  long  as  it  stretched  up  the  slope,  and  about  the 
same  at  its  greatest  width.  The  shape  was  like  a 
stout  bean  with  a  hollow  on  one  side,  and  down  the 
middle  ran  the  gorge  of  a  mountain  stream. 

304 


EVENTS  ON  THE  HILL-SIDE 

Onotawah  pointed  to  the  wood.  "Hearken,  brother, 
to  the  customs  of  our  race  in  such  combats.  In  that 
thicket  the  twain  of  you  fight.  Mayoga  will  enter  at 
one  end  and  you  at  the  other,  and  once  among  the  trees 
it  is  his  business  to  slay  you  as  he  pleases  and  as  he 
can." 

"What  are  the  weapons?"  I  asked. 

"What  you  please.  You  have  a  sword  and  your 
little  guns." 

Mayoga  laughed  loud.  "My  bow  is  sufficient,"  he 
cried.  "See,  I  leave  knife  and  tomahawk  behind," 
and  he  cast  them  on  the  grass. 

Not  to  be  outdone,  I  took  off  my  sword,  though  that 
was  more  an  encumbrance  than  a  weapon. 
.     "I  have  but  the  two  shots,"  I  said. 

"Then  I  will  take  but  the  two  arrows,"  cried  my 
opponent,  shaking  the  rest  out  of  his  quiver;  and  at 
this  there  was  a  murmur  of  applause.  There  were 
some  notions  of  decency  among  these  Western  In- 
dians. 

I  bade  him  take  a  quiverful.  "You  will  need  them," 
said  I,  looking  as  truculent  as  my  chicken  heart  would 
permit  me. 

They  took  me  to  the  eastern  side  of  the  wood,  and 
there  we  waited  for  the  signal,  which  was  a  musket 
shot,  telling  me  that  Mayoga  was  ready  to  enter  at 
the  opposite  end.  My  companions  were  friendly 
enough,  and  seemed  to  look  on  the  duel  as  a  kind  of 
sport.  I  could  not  understand  their  tongue,  but  I  fancy 
that  they  wagered  among  themselves  on  the  issue,  if, 
indeed,  that  was  in  doubt,  or,  at  any  rate,  on  the 
time  before  I  should  fall.     They  had  forgotten  that 

30s 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

they  had  tortured  me  the  night  before,  and  one  clapped 
me  on  the  shoulder  and  seemed  to  encourage  me.  An- 
other pointed  to  my  raw  shins,  and  wound  some  kind 
of  soft  healing  fibre  round  my  feet  and  ankles.  I  did 
my  best  to  keep  a  stout  face,  and  when  the  shot  came, 
I  waved  my  hand  to  them  and  plunged  boldly  into  the 
leafy  darkness. 

But  out  of  the  presence  of  men  my  courage  departed, 
and  I  became  the  prey  of  dismal  fear.  How  was  I, 
with  my  babyish  woodcraft,  to  contend  for  a  moment 
against  an  indian  who  was  as  subtle  and  velvet-footed 
as  a  wild  beast?  The  wood  was  mostly  of  great  oaks 
and  chestnuts,  with  a  dense  scrub  of  vines  and  under- 
growth, and  in  the  steepest  parts  of  the  hill-side  many 
mossgrown  rocks.  I  found  every  movement  painful 
in  that  rough  and  matted  place.  For  one  thing,  I  made 
an  unholy  noise.  My  tender  limbs  shrank  from  every 
stone  and  twig,  and  again  and  again  I  rolled  over  with 
the  pain  of  it.  Sweat  blinded  my  eyes,  and  the  fa- 
tigues of  yesterday  made  my  breath  labour  like  a 
foundered  horse. 

My  first  plan — if  the  instinct  of  blind  terror  can 
be  called  a  plan — was  to  lie  hid  in  some  thick  place 
and  trust  to  getting  the  first  shot  at  my  enemy  when 
he  found  me.  But  I  realized  that  I  could  not  do  this. 
My  broken  nerves  would  not  suffer  me  to  lie  hidden. 
Better  the  torture  of  movement  than  such  terrible  pa- 
tience. So  I  groped  my  way  on,  starting  at  every 
movement  in  the  thicket.  Once  I  roused  a(  deer, 
which  broke  off  in  front  of  me  towards  my  adversary. 
That  would  tell  him  my  whereabouts,  I  thought,  and 

306 


EVENTS  ON  THE  HILL-SIDE 

for  some  time  I  lay  still  with  a  palpitating  heart.  But 
soon  the  silence  resumed  its  sway,  a  deathlike  silence, 
with  far  off  the  faint  tinkle  of  water. 

By  and  by  I  reached  the  stream,  the  course  of  which 
made  an  open  space  a  few  yards  wide  in  the  trees. 
The  sight  of  its  cool  foaming  current  made  me  reck- 
less. I  dipped  my  face  in  it,  drank  deep  of  it,  and 
let  it  flow  over  my  burning  legs.  Then  I  scrambled 
up  the  other  bank,  and  entered  my  enemy's  half  of  the 
wood.  He  had  missed  a  fine  chance,  I  thought,  in 
not  killing  me  by  the  water's  edge;  and  this  escape,  and 
the  momentary  refreshment  of  the  stream,  heartened 
me  enough  to  carry  me  some  way  into  his  territory. 

The  wood  was  thinner  here,  and  the  ground  less 
cumbered.  I  moved  from  tree  to  tree,  crawling  in 
the  open  bits,  and  scanning  each  circle  of  green  dusk 
before  I  moved.  A  redbird  fluttered  on  my  right,  and 
I  lay  long  watching  its  flight.  Something  moved  ahead 
of  me,  but  'twas  only  a  squirrel. 

Then  came  a  mocking  laugh  behind  me.  I  turned 
sharply,  but  saw  nothing.  Far  up  in  the  branches 
there  sounded  the  slow  flap  of  an  owl's  flight.  Many 
noises  succeeded,  and  suddenly  came  one  which  froze 
my  blood — the  harsh  scream  of  a  hawk.  My  enemy 
was  playing  with  me,  and  calling  the  wild  things  to 
mock  me. 

I  went  on  a  little,  and  then  turned  up  the  hill  to 
where  a  clump  of  pines  made  a  darker  patch  in  the 
woodland.  All  was  quiet  again,  and  my  eyes  searched 
the  dusk  for  the  sign  of  human  life.  Then  suddenly 
I  saw  something  which  stiffened  me  against  a  trunk. 

307 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

Forty  paces  off  in  the  dusk  a  face  was  looking  from 
behind  a  tree.  It  was  to  the  west  of  me,  and  was  look- 
ing downhill  towards  a  patch  of  undergrowth.  I 
noted  the  long  feather,  the  black  forehead,  the  red 
skin  of  the  forehead. 

At  the  sight  for  the  first  time  the  zest  of  the  pursuit 
filled  me,  and  I  forgot  my  pain.  Had  I  outwitted  my 
wily  foe,  and  by  some  miracle  stolen  a  march  on  him? 
I  dared  not  believe  it;  but  yet,  as  I  rubbed  my  eyes, 
I  could  not  doubt  it.  I  had  got  my  chance,  and  had 
taken  him  unawares.  The  face  still  peered  intently 
downhill.  I  lifted  a  pistol,  took  careful  aim,  and  fired 
at  the  patch  of  red  skin. 

A  thousand  echoes  rang  through  the  wood.  The 
bullet  had  grazed  the  tree  trunk,  and  the  face  was 
gone.  But  whither?  Did  a  dead  man  lie  behind  the 
trunk,  or  had  a  wounded  man  crawled  into  cover? 

I  waited  breathlessly  for  a  minute  or  two,  and  then 
went  forward,  with  my  second  pistol  at  the  cock. 

There  was  nothing  behind  the  tree.  Only  a  piece  of 
red  bark  with  a  bullet  hole  through  it,  some  greasy 
horsehair,  and  a  feather.  And  then  from  many  quar- 
ters seemed  to  come  a  wicked  laughter.  I  leaned 
against  the  trunk,  with  a  deadly  nausea  clutching  at 
my  heart.  Poor  fool,  I  had  rejoiced  for  a  second, 
only  to  be  dashed  into  utter  despair ! 

I  do  not  think  I  had  ever  had  much  hope,  but  now 
I  was  convinced  that  all  was  over.  The  water  had 
made  my  burns  worse,  and  disappointment  had  sapped 
the  little  remnants  of  my  strength.  My  one  desire 
was  to  get  out  of  this  ghoulish  thicket  and  die  by  the 

308 


EVENTS  ON  THE  HILL-SIDE 

stream-side.  The  cool  sound  of  It  would  be  a  fitting 
dirge  for  a  foolish  fellow  who  had  wandered  far  from 
his  home. 

I  could  hear  the  plunge  of  It,  and  struggled  towards 
it.  I  was  long  past  taking  any  care.  I  stumbled  and 
slipped  along  the  hill-side,  my  breath  labouring,  and 
a  moaning  at  my  lips  from  sheer  agony  and  weakness. 
If  an  arrow  sped  between  my  ribs  I  would  still  reach 
the  water,  for  I  was  determined  to  die  with  my  legs  in 
its  flow. 

Suddenly  it  was  before  me.  I  came  out  on  a  mossy 
rock  above  a  deep,  clear  pool,  into  which  a  cascade 
tumbled.  I  knelt  feebly  on  the  stone,  gazing  at  the 
blue  depths,  and  then  I  lifted  my  eyes. 

There  on  a  rock  on  the  other  side  stood  my  enemy. 

He  had  an  arrow  fitted  to  his  bow,  and  as  I  looked 
he  shot.  It  struck  me  on  the  right  arm,  pinning  it 
just  above  the  elbow.  The  pistol,  which  I  had  been 
carrying  aimlessly,  slipped  from  my  nerveless  hand  to 
the  moss  on  which  I  kneeled. 

That  sudden  shock  cleared  my  wits.  I  was  at  his 
mercy,  and  he  knew  it.  I  could  see  every  detail  of  him 
twenty  yards  off  across  the  water.  He  stood  there  as 
calm  and  light  as  if  he  had  just  arisen  from  rest,  his 
polished  limbs  shining  in  the  glow  of  the  sun,  the 
muscles  on  his  right  arm  rippling  as  he  moved  his 
bow.  Madman  that  I  v.as,  ever  to  hope  to  contend 
with  such  dauntless  youth,  such  tireless  vigour !  There 
was  a  cruel,  thin-lipped  smile  on  his  face.  He  had 
me  in  his  clutches  like  a  cat  with  a  mouse,  and  he 
was  going  to  get  the  full  zest  of  It.     I  kneeled  before 

309 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

him,  with  my  strength  gone,  my  right  arm  crippled. 
He  could  choose  his  target  at  his  leisure,  for  I  could  not 
resist.  I  saw  the  gloating  joy  in  his  eyes.  He  knew  his 
power,  and  meant  to  miss  nothing  of  its  savour. 

Yet  in  that  fell  predicament  God  gave  me  back  my 
courage.     But  I  took  a  queer  way  of  showing  it. 

I  began  to  whimper  as  if  in  abject  fear.  Every  limb 
was  relaxed  in  terror,  and  I  grovelled  on  my  knees 
before  him.  I  made  feeble  plucks  at  the  arrow  in  my 
right  arm,  and  my  shoulder  drooped  almost  to  the 
sod.  But  all  the  time  my  other  hand  was  behind  my 
back,  edging  its  way  to  the  pistol.  My  fingers  clutched 
at  the  butt,  and  slowly  I  began  to  withdraw  it  till  I 
had  it  safe  in  the  shadow  of  my  pocket. 

My  enemy  did  not  know  that  I  was  left-handed. 

He  fitted  a  second  arrow  to  his  bow,  while  his  lips 
curved  maliciously.  All  the  demoniac,  panther-like 
cruelty  of  his  race  looked  at  me  out  of  his  deep  eyes. 
He  was  taking  his  time  about  It,  unwilling  to  lose  the 
slightest  flavour  of  his  vengeance.  I  played  up  to 
him  nobly,  squirming  as  if  in  an  agony  of  terror.  But 
by  this  time  I  had  got  a  comfortable  posture  on  the 
rock,  and  my  left  shoulder  was  towards  him. 

At  last  he  made  his  choice,  and  so  did  I.  I  never 
thought  that  I  could  miss,  for  If  I  had  had  any  doubt 
I  should  have  failed.  I  was  as  confident  in  my  sure- 
ness  as  any  saint  in  the  mercy  of  God. 

He  raised  his  bow,  but  it  never  reached  his  shoulder. 
My  left  arm  shot  out,  and  my  last  bullet  went  through 
his  brain. 

He  toppled  forward  and  plunged  into  the  pool.   The 

310 


EVENTS  ON  THE  HILL-SIDE 

grease  from  his  body  floated  up,  and  made  a  scum  on 
the  surface. 

Then  I  broke  off  the  arrow  and  pulled  it  out  of  my 
arm,  putting  the  pieces  in  my  pocket.  The  water 
cleared,  and  I  could  see  him  lying  in  the  cool  blue 
depths,  his  eyes  staring,  his  mouth  open,  and  a  little 
dark  eddy  about  his  foreehad. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 


SHALAH 


I  CAME  out  of  the  wood  a  new  being.  My  wounded 
arm  and  my  torn  and  inflamed  limbs  were  for- 
gotten. I  held  my  head  high,  and  walked  like  a  free 
man.  It  was  not  that  I  had  slain  my  enemy  and  been 
delivered  from  deadly  peril,  nor  had  I  any  clearer  light 
on  my  next  step.  But  I  had  suddenly  got  the  con- 
viction that  God  was  on  my  side,  and  that  I  need  not 
fear  what  man  could  do  unto  me.  You  may  call  it 
the  madness  of  a  lad  whose  body  and  spirit  had  been 
tried  to  breaking-point.  But,  madness  or  no,  it  gave 
me  infinite  courage,  and  in  that  hour  I  would  have 
dared  every  savage  on  earth. 

I  found  some  Indians  at  the  edge  of  the  wood,  and 
told  one  who  spoke  Powhatan  the  issue  of  the  fight. 
I  flung  the  broken  arrow  on  the  ground.  "That  is  my 
token,"  I  said.  "You  will  find  the  other  in  the  pool 
below  the  cascade. 

Then  I  strode  towards  the  tents,  looking  every 
man  I  passed  squarely  in  the  eyes.  No  one  spoke, 
no  one  hindered  me;  every  face  was  like  a  graven 
image. 

312 


SHALAH 

I  reached  the  teepee  In  which  I  had  spent  the  night, 
and  flung  myself  down  on  the  rude  couch.  In  a  minute 
I  was  sunk  in  a  heavy  sleep. 

I  woke  to  see  two  men  standing  in  the  tent  door. 
One  was  the  chief  Onotawah,  and  the  other  a  tall  In- 
dian who  wore  no  war  paint. 

They  came  towards  me,  and  the  light  fell  on  the 
face  of  the  second.  To  my  amazement  I  recognized 
Shalah.  He  put  a  finger  on  his  lip,  and,  though  my 
heart  clamoured  for  news,  I  held  my  peace. 

They  squatted  on  a  heap  of  skins  and  spoke  In 
their  own  tongue.  Then  Shalah  addressed  me  in  Eng- 
lish. 

"The  maiden  is  safe,  brother.  There  will  be  no 
more  fighting  at  the  stockade.  Those  who  assaulted 
us  were  of  my  own  tribe,  and  yesterday  I  reasoned 
with   them." 

Then  he  spoke  to  the  chief,  and  translated  for 
me. 

"He  says  that  you  have  endured  the  ordeal  of  the 
stake,  and  have  slain  your  enemy  in  fight,  and  that  now 
you  will  go  before  the  great  Sachem  for  his  judgment. 
That  is  the  custom  of  our  people." 

He  turned  to  Onotawah  again,  and  his  tone  was  high 
and  scornful.  He  spoke  as  if  he  were  the  chief  and 
the  other  were  the  minion,  and,  what  was  strangest 
of  all,  Onotawah  replied  meekly.  Shalah  rose  to  his 
feet  and  strode  to  the  door,  pointing  down  the  glen  with 
his  hand.  He  seemed  to  menace  the  other,  his  nostrils 
quivered  with  contempt,  and  his  voice  was  barbed  with 

313 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

passion.     Onotawah  bowed  his  head  and  said  nothing. 

Then  he  seemed  to  dismiss  him,  and  the  proud  chief 
walked  out  of  the  teepee  like  a  disconsolate  schoolboy. 

Instantly  Shalah  turned  to  me  and  inquired  about 
my  wounds.  He  looked  at  the  hole  in  my  arm  and  at 
my  scorched  legs,  and  from  his  belt  took  a  phial  of 
ointment,  which  he  rubbed  on  the  former.  He  passed 
his  cool  hands  over  my  brow,  and  felt  the  beating  of  my 
heart. 

"You  are  weary,  brother,  and  somewhat  scarred, 
but  there  is  no  grave  hurt.    What  of  the  Master?" 

I  told  him  of  Ringan's  end.  He  bent  his  head,  and 
then  sprang  up  and  held  his  hands  high,  speaking  in  a 
strange  tongue.  I  looked  at  his  eyes,  and  they  were 
ablaze  with  fire. 

"My  people  slew  him,"  he  cried.  "By  the  shades  of 
my  fathers,  a  score  shall  keep  him  company  as  slaves 
in  the  Great  Hunting-ground." 

"Talk  no  more  of  blood,"  I  said.  "He  was  amply 
avenged.  'Twas  I  who  slew  him,  for  he  died  to  save 
me.  He  made  a  Christian  end,  and  I  will  not  have 
his  memory  stained  by  more  murders.  But  oh,  Shalah, 
what  a  man  died  yonder!" 

He  made  me  tell  every  incident  of  the  story,  and  he 
cried  out,  impassive  though  he  was,  at  the  sword-play 
in  the  neck  of  the  gorge. 

"I  have  seen  it,"  he  cried.  "I  have  seen  his  bright 
steel  flash  and  men  go  down  like  ripe  fruit.  Tell  me, 
brother,  did  he  sing  all  the  while,  as  was  his  custom? 
Would  I  had  been  by  his  side!" 

Then  he  told  me  of  what  had  befallen  at  the  stockade. 

3H 


SHALAH 

"The  dead  man  told  me  a  tale,  for  by  the  mark  on 
his  forehead  I  knew  that  he  was  of  my  own  house. 
When  you  and  the  Master  had  gone  I  went  into  the 
woods  and  picked  up  the  trail  of  our  foes.  I  found 
them  in  the  crook  of  the  hills,  and  went  among  them 
in  peace.  They  knew  me,  and  my  word  was  law  unto 
them.  No  living  thing  will  come  near  the  stockade 
save  the  wild  beasts  of  the  forest.  Be  at  ease  in  thy 
mind,    brother." 

The  news  was  a  mighty  consolation,  but  I  was  still 
deeply  mystified. 

"You  speak  of  your  tribe.  But  these  men  were  no 
Senecas." 

He  smiled  gravely,  "Listen,  brother,"  he  said. 
"The  white  men  of  the  Tidewater  called  me  Seneca, 
and  I  suffered  the  name.  But  I  am  of  a  greater  and 
princelier  house  than  the  Sons  of  the  Cat.  Some  little 
while  ago  I  spoke  to  you  of  the  man  who  travelled  to 
the  Western  Seas,  and  of  his  son  who  returned  to  his 
own  people.  I  am  the  son  of  him  who  returned.  I 
spoke  of  the  doings  of  my  own  kin." 

"But  what  Is  your  nation,  then?"  I  cried. 

"One  so  great  that  these  little  clanlets  of  Cherokee 
and  Monacan,  and  even  the  multitudes  of  the  Long 
House,  are  but  slaves  and  horseboys  by  their  side. 
We  dwelt  far  beyond  these  mountains  towards  the  set- 
ting sun,  in  a  plain  where  the  rivers  are  like  seas,  and 
the  cornlands  wider  than  all  the  Virginian  manors.  But 
there  came  trouble  in  our  royal  house,  and  my  father 
returned  to  find  a  generation  which  had  forgotten  the 
deeds  of  their  forefathers.     So  he  took  his  own  tribe, 

315 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

who  still  remembered  the  House  of  the  Sun,  and,  be- 
cause his  heart  was  unquiet  with  longing  for  that  which 
is  forbidden  to  man,  he  journeyed  eastward,  and  found 
a  new  home  in  a  valley  of  these  hills.  Thine  eyes  have 
seen  it.    They  call  it  the  Shenandoah." 

I  remembered  that  smiling  Eden  I  had  seen  from 
that  hill-top,  and  how  Shalah  had  spoken  that  very 
name. 

"We  dwelt  there,"  he  continued,  "while  I  grew  to 
manhood,  living  happily  in  peace,  hunting  the  buffalo 
and  deer,  and  tilling  our  cornlands.  Then  the  time 
came  when  the  Great  Spirit  called  for  my  father,  and 
I  was  left  with  the  kingship  of  the  tribe.  Strange 
things  meantime  had  befallen  our  nation  in  the  West. 
Broken  clans  had  come  down  from  the  north,  and  there 
had  been  many  battles,  and  there  had  been  blight,  and 
storms,  and  sickness,  so  that  they  were  grown  poor  and 
harassed.  Likewise  men  had  arisen  who  preached  to 
them  discontent,  and  other  races  of  a  lesser  breed  had 
joined  themselves  to  them.  My  own  tribe  had  become 
fewer,  for  the  young  men  did  not  stay  in  our  valley,  but 
drifted  back  to  the  West,  to  that  nation  we  had  come 
from,  or  went  north  to  the  wars  with  the  white  man, 
or  became  lonely  hunters  in  the  hills.  Then  from  the 
south  along  the  mountain  crests  came  another  people, 
a  squat  and  murderous  people,  who  watched  us  from 
the  ridges  and  bided  their  chance." 

"The  Cherokees?"  I  asked. 

"Even  so.  I  speak  of  a  hundred  moons  back,  when 
I  was  yet  a  stripling,  with  little  experience  in  war.  I 
saw  the  peril,  but  I  could  not  think  that  such  a  race 

316 


SHALAH 

could  vie  with  the  Children  of  the  Sun,  But  one  black 
night,  in  the  Moon  of  Wildfowl,  the  raiders  descended 
in  a  torrent  and  took  us  unprepared.  What  had  been 
a  happy  people,  dwelling  with  full  barns  and  populous 
wigwams  became  in  a  night  a  desolation.  Our  wives 
and  children  were  slain  or  carried  captive,  and  on  every 
Cherokee  belt  hung  the  scalps  of  my  warriors.  Some 
fled  westwards  to  our  nation,  but  they  were  few  that 
lived,  and  the  tribe  of  Shalah  went  out  like  a  torch  in 
a  roaring  river. 

"I  slew  many  men  that  night,  for  the  gods  of  my 
fathers  guided  my  arm.  Death  I  sought,  but  could 
not  find  it;  and  by  and  by  I  was  alone  in  the  woods, 
with  twenty  scars  and  a  heart  as  empty  as  a  gourd. 
Then  I  turned  my  steps  to  the  rising  sun  and  the  land 
of  the  white  man,  for  there  was  no  more  any  place  for 
me  in  the  councils  of  my  own  people. 

"All  this  was  many  moons  ago,  and  since  then  I  have 
been  a  wanderer  among  strangers.  While  I  reigned 
in  my  valley  I  heard  of  the  white  man's  magic  and  of 
the  power  of  his  gods,  and  I  longed  to  prove  them. 
Now  I  have  learned  many  things  which  were  hid  from 
the  eyes  6i  our  oldest  men.  I  have  learned  that  a  man 
may  be  a  great  brave,  and  yet  gentle  and  merciful,  as 
was  the  Master.  I  have  learned  that  a  man  may  be 
a  lover  of  peace  and  quiet  ways  and  have  no  lust  of 
battle  in  his  heart,  and  yet  when  the  need  comes  be  more 
valiant  than  the  best,  even  as  you,  brother.  I  have 
learned  that  the  God  of  the  white  men  was  Himself 
a  man  who  endured  the  ordeal  of  the  stake  for  the  wel- 
fare of  His  enemies.     I  have  seen  cruelty  and  coward- 

317 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

ice  and  folly  among  His  worshippers;  but  I  have  also 
seen  that  His  faith  can  put  spirit  into  a  coward's 
heart,  and  makes  heroes  of  mean  men.  I  do  not  grudge 
my  years  of  wandering.  They  have  taught  me  such 
knowledge  as  the  Sachems  of  my  nation  never  dreamed 
of,  and  they  have  given  me  two  comrades  after  my 
own  heart.  One  was  he  who  died  yesterday,  and  the 
other  is  now  by  my  side." 

These  words  of  Shalah  did  not  make  me  proud, 
for  things  were  too  serious  for  vanity.  But  they  served 
to  confirm  in  me  my  strange  exaltation.  I  felt  as  one 
dedicated  to  a  mighty  task. 

"Tell  me,  what  is  the  invasion  which  threatens  the 
Tidewater?" 

"The  whole  truth  is  not  known  to  me;  but  from  the 
speech  of  my  tribesmen,  it  seems  that  the  Children  of 
the  West  Wind,  twelve  moons  ago,  struck  their  tents 
and  resolved  to  seek  a  new  country.  There  is  a  rest- 
lessness comes  upon  all  Indian  peoples  once  in  every 
five  generations.  It  fell  upon  my  grandfather,  and  he 
travelled  towards  the  sunset,  and  now  it  has  fallen 
upon  the  whole  race  of  the  Sun.  As  they  were  on  the 
eve  of  journeying  there  came  to  them  a  prophet,  who 
told  them  that  God  would  lead  them  not  towards  the 
West,  as  was  the  tradition  of  the  elders,  but  east- 
wards to  the  sea  and  the  dwellings  of  the  Palefaces." 

"Is  that  the  crazy  white  man  we  have  heard  of?" 

"He  is  of  your  race,  brother.  What  his  spell  Is  I 
know  not,  but  it  works  mightily  among  my  people. 
They  tell  me  that  he  hath  bodily  converse  with  devils, 
and  that  God  whispers  His  secrets  to  him  in  the  night- 

318 


SHALAH 

watches.  His  God  hath  told  him — so  runs  the  tale — 
that  He  hath  chosen  the  Children  of  the  Sun  for  His 
peculiar  people,  and  laid  on  them  the  charge  of  sweep- 
ing the  white  men  off  the  earth  and  reigning  in  their 
stead  from  the  hills  to  the  Great  Waters," 

"Do  you  believe  in  this  madman,  Shalah?"  I  asked. 

"I  know  not,"  he  said,  with  a  troubled  face.  "I 
fear  one  possessed  of  God.  But  of  this  I  am  sure, 
that  the  road  of  the  Children  of  the  West  Wind  lies 
not  eastward  but  westward,  and  that  no  good  can  come 
of  war  with  the  white  man.  This  sachem  hath  laid  his 
magic  on  others  than  our  people,  for  the  Cherokee 
nation  and  all  the  broken  clans  of  the  hills  acknowledge 
him  and  do  his  bidding.  He  is  a  soldier  as  well  as  a 
prophet,  for  he  has  drilled  and  disposed  his  army  like 
a  master  of  war." 

"Will  your  tribe  ally  themselves  with  Cherokee 
murderers?" 

"I  asked  that  question  of  this  man  Onotawah,  and  he 
liked  it  little.  He  says  that  his  people  distrust  this 
alliance  with  a  race  they  scorn,  and  I  do  not  think  they 
pine  for  the  white  man's  war.  But  they  are  under  the 
magic  of  this  prophet,  and  presently,  when  blood  be- 
gins to  flow,  they  will  warm  to  their  work.  In  time 
they  will  be  broken,  but  that  time  will  not  be  soon,  and 
meanwhile  there  will  be  nothing  left  alive  between  the 
hills  and  the  bay  of  Chesapeake." 

"Do  you  know  their  plans?"  I  asked. 

"The  Cherokees  have  served  their  purpose,"  he 
said.  "Your  forecast  was  right,  brother.  They  have 
drawn  the  fire  of  the  Border,  and  been  driven  in  a 

319 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

rabble  far  south  to  the  Roanoke  and  the  Carolina 
mountains.  That  is  as  the  prophet  planned.  And 
now,  while  the  white  men  hang  up  their  muskets  and 
rejoice  heedlessly  in  their  triumph,  my  nation  prepares 
to  strike.  To-night  the  moon  is  full,  and  the  prophet 
makes  Intercession  with  his  God.  To-morrow  at  dawn 
they  march,  and  by  twilight  they  will  have  swarmed 
across  the  Border." 

"Have  you  no  power  over  your  own  people?" 

"But  little,"  he  answered.  "I  have  been  too  long 
absent  from  them,  and  my  name  is  half-forgotten. 
Yet,  were  they  free  of  this  prophet,  I  think  I  might  sway 
them,  for  I  know  their  ways,  and  I  am  the  son  of  their 
ancient  kings.  But  for  the  present  his  magic  holds 
them  in  thrall.  They  listen  in  fear  to  one  who  hath 
the  ear  of  God." 

I  arose,  stretched  my  arms,  and  yawned. 

"They  carry  me  to  this  Sachem,"  I  said.  "Well  and 
good.  I  will  outface  this  blasphemous  liar,  whoever 
he  may  be.  If  he  makes  big  magic,  I  will  make  bigger. 
The  only  course  Is  the  bold  course.  If  I  can  humble 
this  prophet  man,  will  you  dissuade  your  nation  from 
war  and  send  them  back  to  the  sunset?" 

"Assuredly,"  he  said  wonderlngly.  "But  what  Is 
your  plan,  brother?" 

"None,"  I  answered.  "God  will  show  me  the  way. 
Honesty  may  trust  in  Him  as  well  as  madness." 

"By  my  father's  shade,  you  are  a  man,  brother," 
and  he  gave  me  the  Indian  salute. 

"A  very  weary,  feckless  cripple  of  a  man,"  I  said, 
smiling.     "But  the  armies  of  Heaven  are  on  my  side, 

320 


SHALAH 

Shalah.     Take  my  pistols  and  Ringan's  sword.     I  am 
going  into  this  business  with  no  human  weapons." 

And  as  they  set  me  on  an  Indian  horse  and  the  whole 
tribe  turned  their  eyes  to  the  higher  glens,  I  actually 
rejoiced.  Light-hearted,  or  light-headed,  I  know  not 
which  I  was,  but  I  know  that  I  had  no  fear. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

HOW  I  STROVE  ALL  NIGHT  WITH  THE  DEVIL 

IT  was  late  in  the  evening  ere  we  reached  the  shelf 
in  the  high  glens  which  was  the  headquarters  of 
the  Indian  host.  I  rode  on  a  horse,  between  Onotowah 
and  Shalah,  as  if  I  were  a  chief  and  no  prisoner.  On 
the  road  we  met  many  bands  of  Indians  hastening  to 
the  trysting-place,  for  the  leader  had  flung  his  out- 
posts along  the  whole  base  of  the  range,  and  the  chief 
warriors  returned  to  the  plateau  for  the  last  ritual.  No 
man  spoke  a  word,  and  when  we  met  other  companies 
the  only  greeting  was  by  uplifted  hands. 

The  shelf  was  lit  with  fires,  and  there  was  a  flare 
of  torches  in  the  centre.  I  saw  an  immense  multitude 
of  lean,  dark  faces — how  many  I  cannot  tell,  but  ten 
thousand  at  the  least.  It  took  all  my  faith  to  with- 
stand the  awe  of  the  sight.  For  these  men  were  not  the 
common  Indian  breed,  but  a  race  nurtured  and  armed 
for  great  wars,  disciplined  to  follow  one  man,  and 
sharpened  to  a  needle-point  in  spirit.  Perhaps  if  I  had 
been  myself  a  campaigner  I  should  have  been  less 
awed  by  the  spectacle ;  but  having  nothing  with  which 
to  compare  it,  I  judged  this  a  host  before  which  the 
scattered  Border  stockades  and  Nicholson's  scanty 
militia  would  go  down  like  stubble  before  fire. 

322 


HOW  I  STROVE  WITH  THE  DEVIL 

At  the  head  of  the  plateau,  just  under  the  brow  of 
the  hill,  and  facing  the  half-circle  of  level  land,  stood 
a  big  tent  of  skins.  Before  it  was  a  square  pile  of 
boulders  about  the  height  of  a  man's  waist,  heaped  on 
the  top  with  brushwood  so  that  it  looked  like  a  rude 
altar.  Around  this  the  host  had  gathered,  sitting 
mostly  on  the  ground  with  knees  drawn  to  the  chin,  but 
some  few  standing  like  sentries  under  arms.  I  was 
taken  to  the  middle  of  the  half-circle,  and  Shalah  mo- 
tioned me  to  dismount,  while  a  stripling  led  off  the 
horses.  My  legs  gave  under  me,  for  they  were  still 
very  feeble,  and  I  sat  hunkered  up  on  the  sward  like 
the  others.  I  looked  for  Shalah  and  Onotawah,  but 
they  had  disappeared,  and  I  was  left  alone  among 
those  lines  of  dark,  unknown  faces. 

I  waited  with  an  awe  on  my  spirits  against  which 
I  struggled  in  vain.  The  silence  of  so  vast  a  multitude, 
the  sputtering  torches  lighting  the  wild  amphitheatre 
of  the  hills,  the  strange  clearing  with  its  altar,  the 
mystery  of  the  immense  dusky  sky,  and  the  memory  of 
what  I  had  already  endured — all  weighed  on  me  with 
the  sense  of  impending  doom.  I  summoned  all  my 
fortitude  to  my  aid.  I  told  myself  that  Ringan 
had  believed  in  me,  and  that  I  had  the  assurance 
that  God  would  not  see  me  cast  down.  But  such  cour- 
age as  I  had  was  now  a  resolve  rather  than  any  ex- 
hilaration of  spirits.  A  brooding  darkness  lay  on  me 
like  a  cloud. 

Presently  the  hush  grew  deeper,  and  from  the  tent 
a  man  came.  I  could  not  see  him  clearly,  but  the  flick- 
ering light  told  me  that  he  was  very  tall,  and  that,  like 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

the  Indians,  he  was  naked  to  the  middle.     He  stood 
behind  the  altar,  and  began  some  incantation. 

It  was  in  the  Indian  tongue  which  I  could  not  under- 
stand. The  voice  was  harsh  and  discordant,  but  pow- 
erful enough  to  fill  that  whole  circle  of  hill.  It  seemed 
to  rouse  the  passion  of  the  hearers,  for  grave  faces 
around  me  began  to  work,  and  long-drawn  sighs  came 
from  their  lips. 

Then  at  a  word  from  the  figure  four  men  advanced, 
bearing  something  between  them,  which  they  laid  on 
the  altar.  To  my  amazement  I  saw  that  it  was  a  great 
yellow  panther,  so  trussed  up  that  it  was  impotent  to 
hurt.  How  such  a  beast  had  ever  been  caught  alive 
I  know  not.  I  could  see  its  green  cat's-eyes  glowing  in 
the  dark,  and  the  striving  of  its  muscles,  and  hear  the 
breath  hissing  from  its  muzzled  jaws. 

The  figure  raised  a  knife  and  plunged  it  into  the 
throat  of  the  great  cat.  The  slow  lapping  of  blood 
broke  in  on  the  stillness.  Then  the  voice  shrilled  high 
and  wild.  I  could  see  that  the  man  had  marked  his 
forehead  with  blood,  and  that  his  hands  were  red  and 
dripping.  He  seemed  to  be  declaiming  some  savage 
chant,  to  which  my  neighbours  began  to  keep  time  with 
their  bodies.  Wilder  and  wilder  it  grew,  till  it  ended 
in  a  scream  like  a  seamew's.  Whoever  the  madman 
was,  he  knew  the  mystery  of  Indian  souls,  for  in  a  little 
while  he  would  have  had  that  host  lusting  blindly  for 
death.  I  felt  the  spell  myself,  piercing  through  my 
awe  and  hatred  of  the  spell-weaver,  and  I  won't  say 
but  that  my  weary  head  kept  time  with  the  others  to 
that  weird  singing. 

324 


HOW  I  STROVE  WITH  THE  DEVIL 

A  man  brought  a  torch  and  lit  the  brushwood  on  the 
altar.  Instantly  a  flame  rose  to  heaven,  through  which 
the  figure  of  the  magician  showed  fitfully  like  a  foun- 
tain in  mist.  That  act  broke  the  wizardry  for  me.  To 
sacrifice  a  cat  was  monstrous  and  horrible,  but  it  was 
also  uncouthly  silly.  I  saw  the  magic  for  what  it  was, 
a  maniac's  trickery.  In  the  revulsion  I  grew  angry, 
and  my  anger  heartened  me  wonderfully.  Was  this 
stupendous  quackery  to  bring  ruin  to  the  Tidewater? 
Though  I  had  to  choke  the  life  with  my  own  hands 
out  of  that  warlock's  throat,  I  should  prevent  It. 

Then  from  behind  the  fire  the  voice  began  again. 
But  this  time  I  understood  it.  The  words  were  Eng- 
lish. I  was  amazed,  for  I  had  forgotten  that  I  knew 
the  wizard  to  be  a  white  man. 

"Thus  saith  the  Lord  God,"  it  cried.  "Woe  to  the 
bloody  city!  I  will  make  the  pile  great  for  fire.  Heap 
on  wood,  kindle  the  fire,  consume  the  flesh,  and  spice  it 
well,  and  let  the  hones  he  burned." 

He  poked  the  beast  on  the  altar,  and  a  bit  of  burn- 
ing yellow  fur  fell  off  and  frizzled  on  the  ground. 

It  was  horrid  beyond  words,  lewd  and  savage  and 
Impious,  and  desperately  cruel.  And  the  strange  thing 
was  that  the  voice  was  familiar. 

"O  thou  that  dwellest  upon  many  waters,"  it  went 
on  again,  "abundant  in  treasures,  thine  end  is  come,  and 
the  measure  of  thy  covetousness.  The  Lord  of  Hosts 
hath  sworn  by  Himself,  saying,  Surely  I  will  fill  thee 
with  men  as  with  caterpillars.   .   .   ." 

With  that  last  word  there  came  over  me  a  flood  of 
recollection.     It  was  spoken  not  in  the  common  Eng- 

325 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

lish  way,  but  in  the  broad  manner  of  my  own  folk.  .  .  . 
I  saw  in  my  mind's  eye  a  wet  moorland,  and  heard  a 
voice  inveighing  against  the  wickedness  of  those  in  high 
places.  ...  I  smelled  the  foul  air  of  the  Canongate 
Tolbooth,  and  heard  this  same  man  testifying  against 
the  vanity  of  the  world.  .  .  .  "Cawter-pillarsI"  It 
was  the  voice  that  had  once  bidden  me  sing  "Jenny 
Nettles." 

Harsh  and  strident  and  horrible,  it  was  yet  the  voice 
I  had  known,  now  blaspheming  Scripture  words  behind 
that  gruesome  sacrifice.  I  think  I  laughed  aloud.  I 
remembered  the  man  I  had  pursued  my  first  night  in 
Virginia,  the  man  who  had  raided  Frew's  cabin.  I 
remembered  Ringan's  tale  of  the  Scots  redemptioner 
that  had  escaped  from  Norfolk  county,  and  the  various 
strange  writings  which  had  descended  from  the  hills. 
Was  it  not  the  queerest  fate  that  one  whom  I  had  met 
in  my  boyish  scrapes  should  return  after  six  years  and 
many  thousand  miles  to  play  once  more  a  major  part  in 
my  life  !  The  nameless  general  in  the  hills  was  Muckle 
John  Gib,  once  a  mariner  of  Borrowstoneness,  and 
some  time  leader  of  the  Sweet-Singers.  I  felt  the  smell 
of  wet  heather,  and  the  fishy  odours  of  the  Forth;  I 
heard  the  tang  of  our  country  speech,  and  the  swirl 
of  the  gusty  winds  of  home. 

But  in  a  second  all  thought  of  mirth  was  gone,  and 
a  deep  solemnity  fell  upon  me.  God  had  assuredly  di- 
rected my  path,  for  He  had  brought  the  two  of  us 
together  over  the  widest  spaces  of  earth.  I  had  no 
fear  of  the  issue.  I  should  master  Muckle  John  as  I 
had  mastered  him  before.     My  awe  was  all  for  God's 

326 


HOW  I  STROVE  WITH  THE  DEVIL 

mysterious  dealing,  not  for  that  poor  fool  posturing 
behind  his  obscene  sacrifice.  His  voice  rose  and  fell 
in  eldritch  screams  and  hollow  moans.  He  was  mouth- 
ing the  words  of  some  Bible  Prophet. 

"//  Sword  is  upon  her  horses,  and  upon  her  chariots, 
and  upon  all  the  mingled  people  that  are  in  the  midst 
of  her,  and  they  shall  become  as  women.  A  Sword  is 
upon  her  treasures,  and  they  shall  be  robbed;  a  drought 
is  upon  her  waters,  and  they  shall  be  dried  up;  for  it 
is  the  land  of  graven  images,  and  they  are  mad  upon 
their  idols." 

Every  syllable  brought  back  some  memory.  He  had 
the  whine  and  sough  in  his  voice  that  our  sectaries 
prized,  and  I  could  shut  my  eyes  and  imagine  I  was 
back  in  the  little  kirk  of  Lesmahagow  on  a  hot  summer 
morn.  And  then  would  come  the  scream  of  madness, 
the  high  wail  of  of  the  Sweet-Singer. 

"Thus  saith  the  Lord  God:  Behold,  I  will  bring  a 
King  of  kings  from  the  north,  with  horses  and  with 
chariots,  and  with  horsemen  and  companies  and  much 
people.  He  shall  slay  with  the  sword  thy  daughters  in 
the  field  .   .   ." 

"Fine  words,"  I  thought,  "but  Elspeth  laid  her  whip 
over  your  shoulders,  my  man." 

.  .  .''''With  the  hoofs  of  his  horses  shall  he  tread 
down  all  thy  streets.  He  shall  slay  thy  people  by  the 
sword,  and  thy  strong  garrisons  shall  go  down  to  the 
ground.  .  .  .  And  I  will  cause  the  music  of  thy  songs 
to  cease,  and  the  sound  of  thy  harps  shall  no  more  be 
heard." 

I  had  a  vision  of  Elspeth's  birthday  party  when  we 

327 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

sat  round  the  Governor's  table,  and  I  had  wondered 
dismally  how  long  it  would  be  before  our  pleasant 
songs  would  be  turned  to  mourning. 

The  fires  died  down,  the  smoke  thinned,  and  the 
full  moon  rising  over  the  crest  of  the  hills  poured  her 
light  on  us.  The  torches  flickered  Insolently  In  that 
calm  radiance.  The  voice,  too,  grew  lower  and  the 
Incantation  ceased.  Then  It  began  again  In  the  Indian 
tongue,  and  the  whole  host  rose  to  their  feet.  Muckle 
John,  like  some  old  priest  of  Diana,  flung  up  his  arms 
to  the  heavens,  and  seemed  to  be  Invoking  his  strange 
gods.  Or  he  may  have  been  blessing  his  flock — I  know 
not  which.  Then  he  turned  and  strode  back  to  his  tent, 
just  as  he  had  done  on  that  night  In  the  Cauldstane- 
slap.   .  .   . 

A  hand  was  laid  on  my  arm  and  Onotawah  stood  by 
me.  He  motioned  me  to  follow  him,  and  led  me  past 
the  smoking  altar  to  a  row  of  painted  white  stones 
around  the  great  wigwam.  This  he  did  not  cross,  but 
pointed  to  the  tent  door.  I  pushed  aside  the  flap  and 
entered. 

An  Indian  lamp — a  wick  floating  In  oil — stood  on  a 
rough  table.  But  Its  thin  light  was  unneeded,  for  the 
great  flood  of  moonshine,  coming  through  the  slits  of 
the  skins,  made  a  clear  yellow  twilight.  By  it  I  marked 
the  figure  of  Muckle  John  on  his  knees. 

"Good  evening  to  you,  Mr.  Gib,"  I  said. 

The  figure  sprang  to  its  feet  and  strode  over  to  me. 

"Who  are  ye,"  It  cried,  "who  speaks  a  name  that  Is 
no  more  spoken  on  earth?" 

"Just  a  countryman  of  yours,  who  has  forgathered 

328 


HOW  I  STROVE  WITH  THE  DEVIL 

with  you  before.  Have  you  no  mind  of  the  Cauld- 
staneslap  and  the  Canongate  Tolbooth?" 

He  snatched  up  the  lamp  and  peered  into  my  face, 
but  he  was  long  past  recollection. 

"I  know  ye  not.  But  if  ye  be  indeed  one  from  that 
idolatrous  country  of  Scotland,  the  Lord  hath  sent 
you  to  witness  the  triumph  of  His  servant.  Know  that 
I  am  no  longer  the  man  John  Gib,  but  the  chosen  of  the 
Lord,  to  whom  He  hath  given  a  new  name,  even  Jerub- 
baal,  saying  let  Baal  plead  against  him,  because  he 
hath  thrown  down  his  altar." 

"That's  too  long  a  word  for  me  to  remember,  Mr. 
Gib,  so  by  your  leave  I'll  call  you  as  you  were  chris- 
tened." 

I  had  forced  myself  to  a  slow  coolness,  and  my  voice 
seemed  to  madden  him. 

"Ye  would  outface  me,"  he  cried.  "I  see  ye  are  an 
Idolater  from  the  tents  of  Shem,  on  whom  judgment 
will  be  speedy  and  surprising.  Know  ye  not  what  the 
Lord  hath  prepared  for  ye?  Down  in  your  proud 
cities  ye  are  feasting  and  dicing  and  smiling  on  your 
paramours,  but  the  writing  is  on  the  wall,  and  in  a  little 
ye  will  be  crying  like  w^eaned  bairns  for  a  refuge 
against  the  storm  of  God.  Your  strong  men 
shall  be  slain,  and  your  virgins  shall  be  led  cap- 
tive, and  your  little  children  shall  be  dashed  against  a 
stone.  And  in  the  midst  of  your  ruins  I,  even  I,  will 
raise  a  temple  to  the  God  of  Israel,  and  nations  that 
know  me  not  will  run  unto  me  because  of  the  Lord  my 
God." 

I  had  determined  on  my  part,  and  played  it  calmly. 

329 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

"And  what  will  you  do  with  your  Indian  braves?" 
I  asked. 

"Sharon  shall  be  a  fold  of  flocks,  and  the  valley  of 
Achor  a  place  to  lie  down  in,  for  my  people  that  have 
sought  me,"  he  answered. 

"A  bonny  spectacle,"  I  said.  "Man,  If  you  dare  to 
cross  the  Border  you  will  be  whipped  at  a  cart-tail  and 
clapped  Into  Bedlam  as  a  crazy  vagabond." 

"Blasphemer!"  he  shrieked,  and  ran  at  me  with  the 
knife  he  had  used  on  the  panther. 

It  took  all  my  courage  to  play  my  game.  I  stood 
motionless,  looking  at  him,  and  his  head  fell.  Had  I 
moved  he  would  have  struck,  but  to  his  mad  eyes  my 
calmness  was  terrifying. 

"It  sticks  in  my  mind,"  I  said,  "that  there  is  a  com- 
mandment, Do  no  murder.  You  call  yourself  a  fol- 
lower of  the  Lord.  Let  me  tell  you  that  you  are  no 
more  than  a  bloody-minded  savage,  a  thousandfold 
more  guilty  than  those  poor  creatures  you  are  leading 
astray.  You  serve  Baal,  not  God,  John  Gib,  and  the 
devil  in  hell  Is  banking  his  fires  and  counting  on  your 
company." 

He  gibbered  at  me  like  a  bedlamite,  but  I  knew  what 
I  was  doing.  I  raised  my  voice,  and  spoke  loud  and 
clear,  while  my  eyes  held  his  in  that  yellow  dusk. 

"Priest  of  Baal,"  I  cried,  "lying  prophet!  Go  down 
on  your  knees  and  pray  for  mercy.  By  the  living  God, 
the  flames  of  hell  are  waiting  for  you.  The  lightnings 
tremble  in  the  clouds  to  scorch  you  up  and  send  your 
black  soul  to  Its  own  place." 

His  hands  pawed  at  my  throat,  but  the  horror  was 

330 


HOW  I  STROVE  WITH  THE  DEVIL 

descending  on  him.  He  shrieked  like  a  wild  beast,  and 
cast  fearful  eyes  behind  him.  Then  he  rushed  into  the 
dark  corners,  stabbing  with  his  knife,  crying  that  the 
devils  were  loosed.  I  remember  how  horribly  he 
frothed  at  the  mouth. 

"Avaunt,"  he  howled.  "Avaunt,  Mel  and  Abad- 
don! Avaunt,  Evil-Merodach  and  Baal-Jezer!  Ha! 
There  I  had  ye,  ye  muckle  goat.  The  stink  of  hell  is 
on  ye,  but  ye  shall  not  take  the  elect  of  the  Lord." 

He  crawled  on  his  belly,  stabbing  his  knife  into  the 
ground.  I  easily  avoided  him,  for  his  eyes  saw  noth- 
ing but  his  terrible  phantoms.  Verily  Shalah  had 
spoken  truth  when  he  said  that  this  man  had  bodily 
converse  with  the  devils. 

Then  I  threw  him — quite  easily,  for  his  limbs  were 
going  limp  In  the  extremity  of  his  horror.  He  lay 
gasping  and  foaming,  his  eyes  turning  back  in  his  head, 
while  I  bound  his  arms  to  his  sides  with  my  belt.  I 
found  some  cords  in  the  tent  and  tied  his  legs  together. 
He  moaned  miserably  for  a  little,  and  then  was  silent. 

I  think  I  must  have  sat  by  him  for  three  hours. 
The  world  was  very  still,  and  the  moon  set,  and  the 
only  light  was  the  flickering  lamp.  Once  or  twice  I 
heard  a  rustle  by  the  tent  door.  Some  Indian  guard 
was  on  the  watch,  but  I  knew  that  no  Indian  dared 
cross  the  forbidden  circle. 

I  had  no  thoughts,  being  oppressed  with  a  great 
stupor  of  weariness.  I  may  have  dozed  a  little,  but 
the  pain  of  my  legs  kept  me  from  slumbering.  Once 
or  twice  I  looked  at  him,  and  I  noticed  that  the  mad- 

331 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

ness  had  gone  out  of  his  face,  and  that  he  was  sleep- 
ing peacefully.  I  wiped  the  froth  from  his  lips,  and 
his  forehead  was  cool  to  my  touch. 

By  and  by,  as  I  held  the  lamp  close,  I  observed  that 
his  eyes  were  open.  It  was  now  time  for  the  gamble 
I  had  resolved  on.  I  remembered  that  morning  in  the 
Tolbooth,  and  how  the  madness  had  passed,  leaving 
him  a  simple  soul.  I  unstrapped  the  belt,  and  cut  the 
cords  about  his  legs.  ^ 

"Do  you  feel  better  now,  Mr.  Gib?"  I  asked,  as  if 
it  were  the  most  ordinary  question  in  the  world. 

He  sat  up  and  rubbed  his  eyes.  "Was  it  a  dwam?" 
he  inquired.     "I  get  them  whiles." 

"It  was  a  dwam,  but  I  think  it  has  passed." 

He  still  rubbed  his  eyes,  and  peered  about  him,  like 
a  big  collie  dog  that  has  lost  its  master. 

"Who  is  it  that  speirs?"  he  said.  "I  ken  the  voice, 
but  I  havena  heard  it  this  long  time." 

"One  who  is  well  acquaint  with  Borrowstoneness  and 
the  links  of  Forth,"  said  I. 

I  spoke  in  the  accent  of  his  own  countryside,  and  it 
must  have  woke  some  dim  chord  in  his  memory.  I 
made  haste  to  strike  while  the  iron  was  hot. 

"There  was  a  woman  at  Cramond  ..."  I  began. 

He  got  to  his  feet  and  looked  me  in  the  face.  "Ay, 
there  was,"  he  said,  with  an  odd  note  in  his  voice. 
"What  about  her?"  I  could  see  that  his  hand  was 
shaking. 

"I  think  her  name  was  Alison  Steel." 

"What  ken  ye  of  Alison  Steel?"  he  asked  fiercely. 
"Quick,  man,  what  word  have  ye  frae  Alison?" 

"You  sent  me  with  a  letter  to  her.     D'you  not  mind 

332 


HOW  I  STROVE  WITH  THE  DEVIL 

your  last  days  in  Edinburgh,  before  they  shipped  you 
to  the  Plantations?" 

"It  comes  back  to  me,"  he  cried.  "Ay,  it  comes 
back.  To  think  I  should  live  to  hear  of  Alison !  What 
did  she  say?" 

"Just  this.  That  John  Gib  was  a  decent  man  if  he 
would  resist  the  devil  of  pride.  She  charged  me  to 
tell  you  that  you  would  never  be  out  of  her  prayers, 
and  that  she  would  live  to  be  proud  of  you.  'John 
will  never  shame  his  kin,'  quoth  she." 

"Said  she  so?"  he  said  musingly.  "She  was  aye  a 
kind  body.  We  were  to  be  married  at  Martinmas,  I 
mind.  If  the  Lord  hadna  called  me." 

"You've  need  of  her  prayers,"  I  said,  "and  of  the 
prayers  of  every  Christian  soul  on  earth.  I  came  here 
yestereen  to  find  you  mouthing  blasphemies,  and  howl- 
ing like  a  mad  type  amid  a  parcel  of  heathen.  And 
they  tell  me  you're  to  lead  your  savages  on  Virginia, 
and  give  that  smiling  land  to  fire  and  sword.  Think 
you  Alison  Steel  would  not  be  black  ashamed  if  she 
heard  the  horrid  tale?" 

"  'Twas  the  Lord's  commands,"  he  said  gloomily,  but 
there  was  no  conviction  in  his  words. 

I  changed  my  tone.  "Do  you  dare  to  speak  such 
blasphemy?"  I  cried.  "The  Lord's  commands!  The 
devil's  commands  !  The  devil  of  your  own  sinful  pride  ! 
You  are  like  the  false  prophets  that  made  Israel  to  sin. 
What  brings  you,  a  white  man,  at  the  head  of  murder- 
ous savages?" 

"Israel  would  not  hearken,  so  I  turned  to  the  Gen- 
tiles," said  he. 

"And  what  are  you  going  to  make  of  your  Gentiles? 

333 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

Do  you  think  you've  put  much  Christianity  into  the 
heart  of  the  gentry  that  were  watching  your  antics  last 
night?" 

"They  have  glimmerings  of  grace,"  he  said. 

"Glimmerings  of  moonshine !  They  are  bent  on  mur- 
der, and  so  are  you,  and  you  call  that  the  Lord's  com- 
mands. You  would  sacrifice  your  own  folk  to  the 
heathen  hordes.  God  forgive  you,  John  Gib,  for  you 
are  no  Christian,  and  no  Scot,  and  no  man." 

"Virginia  is  an  idolatrous  land,"  said  he;  but  he 
could  not  look  up  at  me. 

"And  are  your  Indians  not  Idolaters?  Are  you  no 
idolater,  with  your  burnt  offerings  and  heathen  gibber- 
ish? You  worship  a  Baal  and  a  Moloch  worse  than 
any  Midlanlte,  for  you  adore  the  devils  of  your  own 
rotten  heart." 

The  big  man,  with  all  the  madness  out  of  him,  put 
his  towsy  head  in  his  hands,  and  a  sob  shook  his  great 
shoulders. 

"Listen  to  me,  John  Gib.  I  am  come  from  your  own 
country-side  to  save  you  from  a  hellish  wickedness.  I 
know  the  length  and  breadth  of  Virginia,  and  the  land 
is  full  of  Scots,  men  of  the  Covenant  you  have  for- 
sworn, who  are  living  an  honest  life  on  their  bits  of 
farms,  and  worshipping  the  God  you  have  forsaken. 
There  are  women  there  like  Alison  Steel,  and  there  are 
men  there  like  yourself  before  you  hearkened  to  the 
devil.  Will  you  bring  death  to  your  own  folk,  with 
whom  you  once  shared  the  hope  of  salvation?  By  the 
land  we  both  have  left,  and  the  kindly  souls  we  both 
have  known,  and  the  prayers  you  said  at  your  mother's 

334 


HOW  I  STROVE  WITH  THE  DEVIL 

knee,  and  the  love  of  Christ  who  died  for  us,  I  adjure 
you  to  flee  this  great  sin.  For  it  is  the  sin  against  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  that  knows  no  forgiveness." 

The  man  was  fairly  broken  down.  "What  must  I 
do?"  he  cried.  "I'm  all  in  a  creel.  I'm  but  a  pipe 
for  the  Lord  to  sound  through." 

"Take  not  that  Name  in  vain,  for  the  sounding  Is 
from  your  own  corrupt  heart.  Mind  what  Alison  Steel 
said  about  the  devil  of  pride,  for  it  was  that  sin  by 
which  the  angels  fell." 

"But  I've  His  plain  commands,"  he  wailed.  "He 
hath  bidden  me  cast  down  idolatry,  and  bring  the  Gen- 
tiles to  His  kingdom." 

"Did  He  say  anything  about  Virginia?  There's 
plenty  idolatry  elsewhere  in  America  to  keep  you  busy 
for  a  lifetime,  and  you  can  lead  your  Gentiles  else- 
where than  against  your  own  kin.  Turn  your  face 
westward,  John  Gib.  I,  too,  can  dream  dreams  and 
see  visions,  and  it  Is  borne  in  on  me  that  your  road  is 
plain  before  you.  Lead  this  great  people  away  from 
the  little  shielings  of  Virginia,  over  the  hills  and  over 
the  great  mountains  and  the  plains  beyond,  and  on  and 
on  till  you  come  to  an  abiding  city.  You  will  find 
idolaters  enough  to  dispute  your  road,  and  you  can 
guide  your  flock  as  the  Lord  directs  you.  Then  you 
will  be  clear  of  the  murderer's  guilt  who  would  stain 
his  hands  In  kindly  blood." 

He  lifted  his  great  head,  and  the  marks  of  the  sacri- 
fice were  still  on  his  brow. 

"D'ye  think  that  would  be  the  Lord's  will?"  he 
asked  innocently. 

33S 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

"I  declare  it  unto  you,"  said  I.  "I  have  been  sent 
by  God  to  save  your  soul.  I  give  you  your  marching 
orders,  for  though  you  are  half  a  madman  you  are 
whiles  a  man.  There's  the  soul  of  a  leader  in  you, 
and  I  would  keep  ycfu  from  the  shame  of  leading  men 
to  hell.  To-morrow  morn  you  will  tell  these  folk  that 
the  Lord  has  revealed  to  you  a  better  way,  and  by 
noon  you  will  be  across  the  Shenandoah.  D'you  hear 
my  word?" 

"Ay,"  he  said.     "We  will  march  in  the  morning." 

"Can  you  lead  them  where  you  will?" 

His  back  stiffened,  and  the  spirit  of  a  general  looked 
out  of  his  eyes. 

"They  will  follow  where  I  bid.  There's  no  a  man 
of  them  dare  cheep  at  what  I  tell  them." 

"My  work  is  done,"  I  said.  "I  go  to  whence  I  came. 
And  some  day  I  shall  go  to  Cramond  and  tell  Alison 
that  John  Gib  is  no  disgrace  to  his  kin." 

"Would  you  put  up  a  prayer?"  he  said  timidly. 
"I  would  be  the  better  of  one." 

Then  for  the  first  and  last  time  in  my  life  I  spoke 
aloud  to  my  Maker  in  another's  presence,  and  it  was 
surely  the  strangest  petition  ever  offered. 

"Lord,"  I  prayed,  "Thou  seest  Thy  creature,  John 
Gib,  who  by  the  perverseness  of  his  heart  has  come  to 
the  edge  of  grievous  sin.  Take  the  cloud  from  his 
spirit,  arrange  his  disordered  wits,  and  lead  him  to  a 
wiser  life.  Keep  him  in  mind  of  his  own  land,  and 
of  her  who  prays  for  him.  Guide  him  over  hills  and 
rivers  to  an  enlarged  country,  and  make  his  arm  strong 
against  his  enemies,  so  be  they  are  not  of  his  own  kin. 

336 


HOW  I  STROVE  WITH  THE  DEVIL 

And  if  ever  he  should  hearken  again  to  the  devil,  do 
Thou  blast  his  body  with  Thy  fires,  so  that  his  soul 
may  be  saved." 

"Amen,"  said  he,  and  I  went  out  of  the  tent  to  find 
the  grey  dawn  beginning  to  steal  up  the  sky. 

Shalah  was  waiting  at  the  entrance,  far  inside  the 
white  stones.  'Twas  the  first  time  I  had  ever  seen 
him  in  a  state  approaching  fear. 

"What  fortune,  brother?"  he  asked,  and  his  teeth 
chattered. 

"The  Tidewater  is  safe.  This  day  they  march  west- 
wards to  look  for  their  new  country." 

"Thy  magic  is  as  the  magic  of  Heaven,"  he  said 
reverently.  "My  heart  all  night  has  been  like  water, 
for  I  know  no  charm  which  hath  prevailed  against 
the  mystery  of  the  Panther." 

"  'Twas  no  magic  of  mine,"  said  I.  "God  spoke 
to  him  through  my  lips  in  the  night  watches." 

We  took  our  way  unchallenged  through  the  sleep- 
ing host  till  we  had  climbed  the  scarp  of  the  hills. 

"What  brought  you  to  the  tent  door?'  I  asked. 

"I  abode  there  through  the  night.  I  heard  the 
strife  with  the  devils,  and  my  joints  were  loosened. 
Also  I  heard  thy  voice,  brother,  but  I  knew  not  thy 
words." 

"But  what  did  you  mean  to  do?"  I  asked  again. 

"It  was  in  my  mind  to  do  my  little  best  to  see  that 
no  harm  befell  thee.  And  if  harm  came,  I  had  the 
thought  of  trying  my  knife  on  the  ribs  of  yonder 
magician." 

337 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

HOW  THREE  SOULS  FOUND  THEIR  HERITAGE 

IN  that  hour  I  had  none  of  the  exhilaration  of  suc- 
cess. So  strangely  are  we  mortals  made  that, 
though  I  had  won  safety  for  myself  and  my  people, 
I  could  not  get  the  savour  of  it.  I  had  passed  too 
far  beyond  the  limits  of  my  strength.  Now  that  the 
tension  of  peril  was  gone,  my  legs  were  like  touch- 
wood, which  a  stroke  would  shatter,  and  my  foolish 
head  swam  like  a  merry-go-round.  Shalah's  arm  was 
round  me,  and  he  lifted  me  up  the  steep  bits  till  we 
came  to  the  crown  of  the  ridge.  There  we  halted, 
and  he  fed  me  with  sops  of  bread  dipped  in  eau-de-vie, 
for  he  had  brought  Ringan's  flask  with  him.  The  only 
result  was  to  make  me  deadly  sick.  I  saw  his  eyes 
look  gravely  at  me,  and  the  next  I  knew  I  was  on  his 
back.  I  begged  him  to  set  me  down  and  leave  me, 
and  I  think  I  must  have  wept  like  a  bairn.  All  pride 
of  manhood  had  flown  in  that  sharp  revulsion,  and  I 
had  the  mind  of  a  lost  child. 

As  the  light  grew  some  strength  came  back  to  me, 
and  presently  I  was  able  to  hobble  a  little  on  my 
rickety  shanks.    We  kept  the  very  crest  of  the  range, 

33^ 


THREE  SOULS  FIND  THEIR  HERITAGE 

and  came  by  and  by  to  a  promontory  of  clear  ground, 
the  same,  I  fancy,  from  which  I  had  first  seen  the  vale 
of  the  Shenandoah.  There  we  rested  In  a  nook  of 
rock,  while  the  early  sun  warmed  us,  and  the  little 
vapours  showed  us  in  glimpses  the  green  depths  and 
the  far-shining  meadows. 

Shalah  nudged  my  shouder,  and  pointed  to  the 
south,  where  a  glen  debouched  from  the  hills.  A 
stream  of  mounted  figures  was  pouring  out  of  it,  head- 
ing for  the  upper  waters  of  the  river  where  the  valley 
broadened  again.  For  all  my  sickness  my  eyes  were 
sharp  enough  to  perceive  what  manner  of  procession 
it  was.  All  were  on  horseback,  riding  in  clouds  and 
companies  without  the  discipline  of  a  march,  but  mov- 
ing as  swift  as  a  flight  of  wildfowd  at  twilight.  Be- 
fore the  others  rode  a  little  cluster  of  pathfinders,  and 
among  them  I  thought  I  could  recognize  one  taller 
than  the  rest. 

"Your  magic  hath  prevailed,  brother,"  Shalah  said. 
"In  an  hour's  time  they  will  have  crossed  the  Shenan- 
doah, and  at  nightfall  they  will  camp  on  the  farther 
mountains." 

That  sight  gave  me  my  first  assurance  of  success. 
At  any  rate,  I  had  fulfilled  my  trust,  and  if  I  died  in 
the  hills  Virginia  would  yet  bless  her  deliverer. 

And  yet  my  strongest  feeling  was  a  wild  regret. 
These  folk  were  making  for  the  untravelled  lands  of 
the  sunset.  You  would  have  said  I  had  got  my  bellyful 
of  adventure,  and  should  now  have  sought  only  a  quiet 
life.  But  in  that  moment  of  bodily  weakness  and 
mental  confusion  I  was  shaken  with  a  longing  to  fol- 

339 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

low  them,  to  find  what  lay  beyond  the  farthest  cloud- 
topped  mountain,  to  cross  the  wide  rivers,  and  haply 
to  come  to  the  infinite  and  mystic  Ocean  of  the  West. 

"Would  to  God  I  were  with  them!"   I  sighed. 

"Will  you  come,  brother?"  Shalah  whispered,  a 
strange  light  in  his  eyes.  "If  we  twain  joined  the 
venture,  I  think  we  should  not  be  the  last  in  it.  Shalah 
would  make  you  a  king.  What  is  your  life  in  the 
muddy  Tidewater  but  a  thing  of  little  rivalries  and 
petty  wrangles  and  moping  over  paper?  The  hearth 
will  soon  grow  cold,  and  the  bright  eyes  of  the  fairest 
woman  will  dull  with  age,  and  the  years  will  find  you 
heavy  and  slow,  with  a  coward's  shrinking  from  death. 
What  say  you,  brother?  While  the  blood  is  strong 
in  the  veins  shall  we  ride  westward  on  the  path  of  a 
king?" 

His  eyes  were  staring  like  a  hawk's  over  the  hills, 
and,  light-headed  as  I  was,  I  caught  the  infection  of 
his  ardour.  For,  remember,  I  was  so  low  in  spirit 
that  all  my  hopes  and  memories  were  forgotten,  and 
I  was  in  that  blank  apathy  which  is  mastered  by 
another's  passion.  For  a  little  the  life  of  Virginia 
seemed  unspeakably  barren,  and  I  quickened  at  the 
wild  vista  which  Shalah  offered.  I  might  be  a  king 
over  a  proud  people,  carving  a  fair  kingdom  out  of 
the  wilderness,  and  ruling  it  justly  in  the  fear  of  God. 
These  western  Indians  were  the  stuff  of  a  great  na- 
tion. I,  Andrew  Garvald,  might  yet  find  that  empire 
of  which  the  old  adventurers  dreamed. 

With  shame  I  set  down  my  boyish  folly.  It  did  not 
last  long,  for  to  my  dizzy  brain  there  came  the  air 

140 


THREE  SOULS  FIND  THEIR  HERITAGE 

which  Elspeth  had  sung,  that  song  of  Montrose's 
which  had  been,  as  it  were,  the  star  of  all  my  wander- 
ings. 

"For,  if  Confusion  have  a  part, 
Which  virtuous  souls  abhor — " 

Surely  it  was  confusion  that  had  now  overtaken  me. 
Elspeth's  clear  voice,  her  dark,  kind  eyes,  her  young 
and  joyous  grace,  filled  again  my  memory.  Was  not 
such  a  lady  better  than  any  savage  kingdom?  Was 
not  the  service  of  my  own  folk  nobler  than  any  prin- 
cipate  among  strangers?  Could  the  rivers  of  Da- 
mascus vie  with  the  waters  of  Israel? 

"Nay,  Shalah,"  I  said.  "Mine  is  a  quieter  destiny. 
I  go  back  to  the  Tidewater,  but  I  shall  not  stay  there. 
We  have  found  the  road  to  the  hills,  and  in  time  I 
will  plant  the  flag  of  my  race  on  the  Shenandoah." 

He  bowed  his  head.  "So  be  it.  Each  man  to  his 
own  path,  but  I  would  ours  had  run  together.  Your 
way  is  the  way  of  the  white  man.  You  conquer  slowly, 
but  the  line  of  your  conquest  goes  not  back.  Slowly 
it  eats  its  way  through  the  forest,  and  fields  and 
manors  appear  in  the  waste  places,  and  cattle  graze  in 
the  coverts  of  the  deer.  Listen,  brother.  Shalah  has 
had  his  visions  when  his  eyes  were  unsealed  in  the 
night  watches.  He  has  seen  the  white  man  pressing 
up  from  the  sea,  and  spreading  over  the  lands  of 
his  fathers.  He  has  seen  the  glens  of  the  hills  parcelled 
out  like  the  meadows  of  Llenricus,  and  a  great  multi- 
tude surging  ever  on  to  the  West.    His  race  is  doomed 

341 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

by  God  to  perish  before  the  stranger;  but  not  yet 
awhile,  for  the  white  man  comes  slowly.  It  hath  been 
told  that  the  Children  of  the  West  Wind  must  seek 
their  cradle,  and  while  there  is  time  he  would  join 
them  in  that  quest.  The  white  men  follow  upon  their 
heels,  but  in  his  day  and  in  that  of  his  son's  sons  they 
will  lead  their  life  according  to  the  ancient  ways.  He 
hath  seen  the  wisdom  of  the  stranger,  and  found 
among  them  men  after  his  own  heart;  but  the  Spirit 
of  his  father  calls,  and  now  he  returns  to  his  own 
people," 

"What  will  you  do  there?"  I  asked. 

"I  know  not.  I  am  still  a  prince  among  them,  and 
will  sway  their  councils.  It  may  be  fated  that  I  slay 
yonder  magician  and  reign  in  his  stead." 

He  got  to  his  feet  and  looked  proudly  westward. 

"In  a  little  I  shall  overtake  them.  But  I  would 
my  brother  had  been  of  my  company." 

Slowly  we  travelled  north  along  the  crests,  for 
though  my  mind  was  now  saner,  I  had  no  strength 
in  my  body.  The  hill  mists  came  down  on  us,  and 
the  rain  drove  up  from  the  glens.  I  was  happy  now 
for  all  my  weakness,  for  I  was  lapped  in  a  great  peace. 
The  raw  weather,  which  had  once  been  a  horror  of 
darkness  to  me,  was  now  something  kindly  and  home- 
like. The  wet  smells  minded  me  of  my  own  land, 
and  the  cool  buffets  of  the  squalls  were  a  tonic  to  my 
spirit.  I  wandered  into  pleasant  dreams,  and  scarce 
felt  the  roughness  of  the  ground  on  my  bare  feet  and 
the  aches  in  every  limb. 

342 


THREE  SOULS  FIND  THEIR  HERITAGE 

Long  ere  we  got  to  the  Gap  I  was  clean  worn  out. 
I  remember  that  I  fell  constantly,  and  could  scarcely 
rise.  Then  I  stumbled,  and  the  last  power  went  out 
of  will  and  sinew.  I  had  a  glimpse  of  Shalah's  grave 
face  as  I  slipped  into  unconsciousness. 

I  woke  in  a  glow  of  firelight.  Faces  surrounded  me, 
dim  wraith-like  figures  still  entangled  in  the  meshes 
of  my  dreams.  Slowly  the  scene  cleared,  and  I  recog- 
nized Grey's  features,  drawn  and  constrained,  and  yet 
welcoming.  Bertrand  was  weeping  after  his  excitable 
fashion. 

But  there  was  a  face  nearer  to  me,  and  with  that 
face  in  my  memory  I  went  off  into  pleasant  dreams. 
Somewhere  in  them  mingled  the  words  of  the  old  spae- 
wife,  that  I  should  miss  love  and  fortune  in  the  sun- 
shine and  find  them  in  the  rain. 

The  strength  of  youth  is  like  a  branch  of  yew,  for 
if  it  is  bent  it  soon  straightens.  By  the  third  day  I 
was  on  my  feet  again,  with  only  the  stiffness  of  healing 
ivounds  to  remind  me  of  those  desperate  passages. 
(Vhen  I  could  look  about  me  I  found  that  men  had 
A:rrived  from  the  Rappahannock,  and  among  them  Els- 
peth's  uncle,  who  had  girded  on  a  great  claymore,  and 
looked,  for  all  his  worn  face  and  sober  habit,  a  mighty 
man  of  war.  With  them  came  news  of  the  rout  of  the 
Cherokees,  M^ho  had  been  beaten  by  Nicholson's  militia 
in  Stafford  county  and  driven  down  the  long  line  of  the 
Border,  paying  toll  to  every  stockade.  Midway  Law- 
rence had  fallen  upon  them  and  driven  the  remnants 
Into  the  hills  above  the  headwaters  of  the  James.     It 

343 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

would  be  many  a  day,  I  thought,  before  these  gentry 
would  bring  war  again  to  the  Tidewater.  The  Rappa- 
hannock men  were  in  high  feather,  convinced  that 
they  had  borne  the  brunt  of  the  invasion.  'Twas  no 
business  of  mine  to  enlighten  them,  the  more  since  of 
the  three  who  knew  the  full  peril,  Shalah  was  gone  and 
Ringan  was  dead.  My  tale  should  be  for  the  ear  of 
Lawrence  and  the  Governor,  and  for  none  else.  The 
peace  of  mind  of  Virginia  should  not  be  broken  by  me. 

Grey  came  to  me  on  the  third  morning  to  say  good- 
bye. He  was  going  back  to  the  Tidewater  with  some 
of  the  Borderers,  for  to  stay  longer  with  us  had  become 
a  torture  to  him.  There  was  no  ill  feeling  in  his  proud 
soul,  and  he  bore  defeat  as  a  gentleman  should. 

"You  have  fairly  won,  Mr.  Garvald,"  he  said. 
"Three  nights  ago  I  saw  clearly  revealed  the  inclina- 
tion of  the  lady,  and  I  am  not  one  to  strive  with  an 
unwilling  maid.  I  wish  you  joy  of  a  great  prize.  You 
staked  high  for  it,  and  you  deserve  your  fortune.  As 
for  me,  you  have  taught  me  much  for  which  I  owe 
you  gratitude.  Presently,  when  my  heart  is  less  sore, 
I  desire  that  we  should  meet  in  friendship,  but  till 
then  I  need  a  little  solitude  to  mend  broken  threads." 

There  was  the  true  gentleman  for  you,  and  I  sor- 
rowed that  I  should  ever  have  misjudged  him.  He 
shook  my  hand  in  all  brotherliness,  and  went  down 
the  glen  with  Bertrand,  who  longed  to  see  his  children 
again. 

Elspeth  remained,  and  concerning  her  I  fell  into  my 
old  doubting  mood.  The  return  of  my  strength  had 
revived  in  me  the  passion  which  had  dwelt  somewhere 

344 


THREE  SOULS  FIND  THEIR  HERITAGE 

in  my  soul  from  the  hour  she  first  sang  to  me  In  the 
rain.  She  had  greeted  me  as  girl  greets  her  lover,  but 
was  that  any  more  than  the  revulsion  from  fear  and 
the  pity  of  a  tender  heart?  Doubts  oppressed  me,  the 
more  as  she  seemed  constrained  and  uneasy,  her  eyes 
falling  when  she  met  mine,  and  her  voice  full  no  longer 
of  its  frank  comradeship. 

One  afternoon  we  went  to  a  place  in  the  hills  where 
the  vale  of  the  Shenandoah  could  be  seen.  The  rain 
had  gone,  and  had  left  behind  it  a  taste  of  autumn. 
The  hill  berries  were  ripening,  and  a  touch  of  flame 
had  fallen  on  the  thickets. 

Soon  the  great  valley  lay  below  us,  running  out  in  a 
golden  haze  to  the  far  blue  mountains. 

"Ah!"  she  sighed,  like  one  who  comes  from  a 
winter  night  into  a  firelit  room.  She  was  silent,  while 
her  eyes  drank  in  its  spacious  comfort. 

"That  is  your  heritage,  Elspeth.  That  is  the  birth- 
day gift  to  which  old  Studd's  powder-flask  is  the  key." 
"Nay,  yours,"  she  said,  "for  you  won  it." 
The  words  died  on  her  lips,  for  her  eyes  were  ab- 
stracted. My  legs  were  still  feeble,  and  I  had  leaned 
a  little  on  her  strong  young  arm  as  we  came  up  the  hill, 
but  now  she  left  me  and  climbed  on  a  rock,  where  she 
sat  like  a  pixie.  The  hardships  of  the  past  had 
thinned  her  face  and  deepened  her  eyes,  but  her  grace 
was  the  more  manifest.  Fresh  and  dewy  as  morning, 
yet  with  a  soul  of  steel  and  fire — surely  no  lovelier 
nymph  ever  graced  a  woodland.  I  felt  how  rough 
and  common  was  my  own  clay  in  contrast  with  her 
bright  spirit. 

345 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

"Elspeth,"  I  said  hoarsely,  "once  I  told  you  what 
was  In  my  heart." 

Her  face  grew  grave.  "And  have  you  not  seen 
what  is  in  mine?"  she  asked. 

"I  have  seen  and  rejoiced,  and  yet  I  doubt." 
"But  why?"  she  asked  again.     "My  life  is  yours, 
for  you  have  preserved  it.    I  would  be  graceless  indeed 
if  I  did  not  give  my  best  to  you  who  have  given  all 
for  me." 

"It  is  not  gratitude  I  want.  If  you  are  only  grateful, 
put  me  out  of  your  thoughts,  and  I  will  go  away  and 
strive  to  forget  you.  There  were  twenty  in  the  Tide- 
water who  would  have  done  the  like." 

She  looked  down  on  me  from  the  rock  with  the  old 
quizzing  humour  in  her  eyes. 

"If  gratitude  irks  you,  sir,  what  would  you  have?" 
"All,"  I  cried;  "and  yet.  Heaven  knows,  I  am  not 
worth  it.  I  am  no  man  to  capture  a  fair  girl's  heart. 
My  face  is  rude  and  my  speech  harsh,  and  I  am  dam- 
nably prosaic.  I  have  not  Ringan's  fancy,  or  Grey's 
gallantry;  I  am  sober  and  tongue-tied  and  uncouth, 
and  my  mind  runs  terribly  on  facts  and  figures.  O 
Elspeth,  I  know  I  am  no  hero  of  romance,  but  a  plain 
body  whom  Fate  has  forced  into  a  month  of  wildness. 
I  shall  go  back  to  Virginia,  and  be  set  once  more  at  my 
accompts  and  ladings.  Think  well,  my  dear,  for  I 
have  nothing  less  than  all.  Can  you  endure  to  spend 
your  days  with  a  homely  fellow  like  me?" 

"What  does  a  woman  desire?"  she  asked,  as  if  from 
herself,  and  her  voice  was  very  soft  as  she  gazed  over 
the  valley.     "Men  think  it  is  a  handsome  face  of  a 

346 


THREE  SOULS  FIND  THEIR  HERITAGE 

brisk  air  or  a  smooth  tongue.  And  some  will  have  it 
a  deep  purse  or  a  high  station.  But  I  think  it  is  the 
honest  heart  that  goes  all  the  way  with  a  woman's 
love.  We  are  not  so  blind  as  to  believe  that  the  glitter 
is  the  gold.  We  love  romance,  but  we  seek  it  in  its 
true  home.  Do  you  think  I  would  marry  you  for 
gratitude,  Andrew?" 

"No,"  I  said. 

"Or  for  admiration?" 

"No,"  said  I. 

"Or  for  love?" 

"Yes,"  I  said,  with  a  sudden  joy. 

She  slipped  from  the  rock,  her  eyes  soft  and  misty. 
Her  arms  were  about  my  neck,  and  I  heard  from  her 
the  words  I  had  dreamed  of  and  yet  scarce  hoped  for, 
the  words  of  the  song  sung  long  ago  to  a  boy's  ear, 
and  spoken  now  with  the  pure  fervour  of  the  heart — 
"My  dear  and  only  love." 

Years  have  flown  since  that  day  on  the  hills,  and 
much  has  befallen;  but  the  prologue  is  the  kernel  of 
my  play,  and  the  curtain  which  rose  after  that  hour 
revealed  things  less  worthy  of  chronicle.  Why  should 
I  tell  of  how  my  trade  prospered  mightily,  and  of  the 
great  house  we  built  at  Middle  Plantation;  of  my  quar- 
rels with  Nicholson,  which  were  many;  of  how  we 
carved  a  fair  estate  out  of  Elspeth's  inheritance,  and 
led  the  tide  of  settlement  to  the  edge  of  the  hills? 
These  things  would  seem  a  pedestrian  end  to  a  high 
beginning.  Nor  would  I  weary  the  reader  with  my 
doings  in  the  Assembly,  how  I  bearded  more  Governors 

347 


SALUTE  TO  ADVENTURERS 

than  one,  and  disputed  stoutly  with  His  Majesty's 
Privy  Council  in  London.  The  historian  of  Virginia — 
now  by  God's  grace  a  notable  land — may,  perhaps, 
take  note  of  these  things,  but  it  is  well  for  me  to 
keep  silent.  It  is  of  youth  alone  that  I  am  concerned 
to  write,  for  it  is  a  comfort  to  my  soul  to  know  that 
once  in  my  decorous  progress  through  life  I  could  kick 
my  heels  and  forget  to  count  the  cost;  and  as  youth 
cries  farewell,  so  I  end  my  story  and  turn  to  my 
accounts. 

Elspeth  and  I  have  twice  voyaged  to  Scotland.  The 
first  time  my  uncle  and  mother  were  still  in  the  land 
of  the  living,  but  they  died  in  the  same  year,  and  on 
our  second  journey  I  had  much  ado  in  settling  their 
estates.  My  riches  being  now  considerable,  I  turned 
my  attention  to  the  little  house  of  Auchencairn,  which 
I  enlarged  and  beautified,  so  that  if  we  have  the  wish 
we  may  take  up  our  dwelling  there.  V^e  have  found 
in  the  West  a  goodly  heritage,  but  there  is  that  in  a 
man's  birthplace  which  keeps  tight  fingers  on  his  soul, 
and  I  think  that  we  desire  to  draw  our  last  breath  and 
lay  our  bones  in  our  own  grey  country-side.  So,  if 
God  grants  us  length  of  days,  we  may  haply  return 
to  Douglasdale  in  the  even,  and  instead  of  our  noble 
forests  and  rich  meadows,  look  upon  the  bleak  mosses 
and  the  rainy  uplands  which  were  our  childhood's 
memory. 

That  is  the  fancy  at  the  back  of  both  our  heads. 
But  I  am  very  sure  that  our  sons  will  be  Virginians. 


348 


M"^  ^^^i 


^cmm^-i^^Smmm 


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